The Sixth Ascendant
by Servant Ruler
Summary: Shirou Emiya died a hero. But the afterlife was not what he was expecting it to be. He was instead given the chance in a new world. So he thought, 'What if I could do things differently this time'
1. First Step

A.N.:

Reading author notes before I even read the story annoys me. So if you are annoyed by this, please bear with it a little. First things first, it would be advisable if you have the bare minimum of knowledge on F/SN or Type Moon in general before reading this. Second, I'm not following a specific route.

Third? There will be a lot of unanswered questions. Some I will provide an answer for, others you can speculate on cause I will leave it unanswered. Fourth, what crossover is this? It's an F/SN (obviously) and Mushoku Tensei crossover. This will probably be the first Mushoku Tensei crossover. I'm too lazy to do anything about it, so its just that, an F/SN fic.

If you don't know what Mushoku Tensei is, search google? Or read the manga(ongoing) or the light novel(complete). But you probably won't need to though it is advisable. I'll cover most things from Mushoku Tensei anyway. Hmm, oh, I think those are the important ones, the rest of A.N., is on the bottom... Read on.

Disclaimer: I own nothing...

* * *

 **Prologue(Infancy): Rebirth**

-0-

To err is human. Therefore, regret is inevitable. Everyone has regrets no matter how small it is. But what if one wasn't human? What would you call the emotion known as regret? A sentient machine would go on and consider regret as merely an error in judgment and move to correct it or ignore it completely.

But the being known as Shirou Emiya _was_ human, no matter how distorted he was. As he floated in the vast abyss of darkness, Shirou thought back to what he could have done. There was no logical reason for it. What was done was done, unless he was capable of time travel he should no longer be thinking of the things he could have changed. Because alas, there were many. It was the remnants of the fragments of Shirou Emiya who was able to barely develop something akin to human emotions.

Shirou Emiya was no longer on any physical plane of existence. But where ever this place was, it was neither heaven nor hell. His life flashed before him _again_ as he floated aimlessly on that dark vacuum of void.

His very first memory was of a fire. But it was not the fire that Shirou Emiya remembered. It was the memory of a woman, a crimson eyed blonde Hero who became of his greatest regret.

There on that burning wasteland, she stood. A being of great power and authority. She was stared down the young boy who would become Shirou Emiya, clad in nothing, revealing her almost ethereal beauty to the world. That being was the very image of a king, a ruler of a great kingdom, the first Hero to ascend to the Throne of Heroes. Even the very flames which had consumed everything in its wake barely approached her.

"Live and prove your worth, your tenacity is admirable mongrel. Live and continue to entertain me, do not waste this chance I have given you."

Those were the words she spoke back then. It confused the child greatly. What did she mean by those words? Thus the child would continue to grow. Training his body and mind to become stronger. His aim? To reach that woman's level of power by all means necessary, or so he thought at first.

But in the depths of his heart, he knew that that was not what he truly wished. What he truly wished for was to be able to surpass that woman, surpass her until he too would stand at that summit. He wanted to become strong. He wanted to feel what that woman felt as she stood before him as the very pinnacle of humanity's power. He wanted to be at that apex, and that woman was what he saw as the one at the top.

But there could not be two 'strongest', the title of the strongest was absolute. It was a truth. So the only for him to hold that title was to surpass that woman.

The vision jumped forward to a scene bathed in the moon's fading silver light. A tired and weary man far past his prime sat beside a boy on the cusps of adolescences.

"Dad?" The boy looked up at his adoptive father inquisitively. "What does it mean to be strong?"

The man was startled by the question. It was the nature of the question that he found confusing not the question itself. The odd child had never asked any questions that were in any way illogical or rather, questions of great depth that could not be answered by a yes/no or a true/false.

The man fell into deep thought. He felt the importance of this question to the boy. Though he may not have been the best father, he did do his best.

"...To be strong... to be truly strong Shirou, is to be able to protect those that you hold dear, may they be people important to you or ideals that are the core of your life.

Let me tell you something Shirou, did you know that I once wanted to become a Hero? I trained myself to become stronger in order for me to become just that... in order to save everyone. And the Hero always wins because he is stronger, maybe his ideals are stronger, or his conviction."

The boy had an expression that was but a mimicry of confusion.

"You once dreamed to be a Hero? Are you no longer able to continue that dream?"

The man who was hailed as the Magus Killer grimaced, at both the pain that he felt and the bitter sting of the question. His eyes turned blurry and unfocused.

"Maybe being a Hero is a onetime thing, because as one grows older, he can no longer hold that dream in his heart."

There was a moment of silence before the boy answered.

"Then I will become a Hero in your stead, Dad. I will become everything that would embody the word 'Hero'. To be able to save everyone..." Those words with uttered with such conviction that the ailing man could not help but believe that the boy could do it. To become a true Hero.

A smile small formed on the elder Emiya's lips. It was the first true smile that Shirou had ever seen on his father figure. The expression of utter relief was too much for Shirou, he unknowingly mirrored the expression on his father's face. It was the least he could do, the only thing he could do for the man who had lost everything. It was his first step unto the hard and dangerous path of becoming a Hero.

It would be a five years later that he would be put into his first great ordeal, the Fifth Holy Grail War. It was a baptism by fire.

Shirou's thoughts stopped. The beast shackled inside his soul stirred again. The darkness broke like glass as he dived into his soul's depths. His eyes opened to the sight of his reality marble. A blood soaked field of swords, at the center of it all was a beast bound by divine chains.

The titanic primordial roared in fury. Its body, a strange composition of water, earth and lava, was littered by countless swords. The ten concentric circles that floated on its back whirled and turned. Each floating circle was inside the other, all of it of varying colors. The other most circle was of the color black and the inner most of the color white. It's single eye massive eye glared at its warden.

 **"You!"** The sound was not a voice. It was a noise more reminiscent of a mixture of the booming of thunder, the swirling tides of the sea, the eruption of a volcano and a hundred more sounds that were not so unlike the forces of nature. But he was able to comprehend it by means that escaped him.

"You're awake again... please do not struggle too much. And all that shouting is making my head hurt..."

Shirou waited for the divine entity to calm down as it threw swaths of earth and fire at him. None ever reached him. He rubbed his temples in attempt to ease the pain in his head. He wanted nothing more than to skewer that titan with swords and mystic codes that would force back that being into sleep but he wanted to talk. He wanted answers. He did not know how long he had floated in that boundless space or how long he would be there.

So the least he could do was maybe try to talk some sense into that being wanted nothing more than to crush him into a bloody pulp. There was no sense of time in this place. He did not know how long he had been reliving his memories. He had lost count past a thousand.

But all his efforts had been futile so far. It was an endless cycle. He would wait and wait until either the massive titan tired out and fell asleep or he would grow tired of waiting and force it to sleep. But there were rare moments where the titan was not always trying to kill. Very rare moments. He treasured those moments like a lifeline to sanity.

Shirou sat down on a protruding rock to wait.

Then something strange happened. He felt his consciousness slipping. He panicked and tried to stand up. Even the chained titan seemed to grow weaker as he did. His last vision was of red spiral conceptual weapon. The only weapon that he 'owned', ironic because that weapon was not truly his but given to him. It was the only weapon that he had never been able to analyze, the only weapon he could not and would not touch. But it was there, it existence longingly reaching out to him. _Her_ last gift, the sword worthy of a Hero, _her_ Hero.

And the memory of his regrets.

* * *

-0-

Alicia Fathira Braeares gripped the sheets hard as her knuckles turned white.

"Push harder, milady. He's nearly there." The calm comforting voice of the midwife did little to ease her worry and pain.

"Gaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!" The pain of the delivery was immense as she tried to follow the old woman's instruction. It was a little later that she felt the pain recede coinciding with the loud crying of a child. Her drugged and hazy mind recognized the sound.

"Congratulations on giving birth to a healthy boy milady. Ah, what great lungs he has. He's the loudest child I've ever delivered."

Alicia reached a hand out towards the little bundle being offered towards her. Her earlier pain was forgotten as she looked down at the child. This child was the source of all her problems. The child was a product of her foolish mistakes. The anger crept unto her mind as she waited for the midwife to finish cleaning and leave. The poisoned dagger under her pillow was ready.

"I would advise you well to try and feed the child later milady, if you need anything else please do not hesitate to pull the rope on your right. We will be here immediately in case you are in need of our assistance." The midwife bowed politely and left the woman and her child as she had been instructed earlier.

Alicia steeled her heart and mind. She had to do this. Her right hand reached behind her to grip the knife's hilt while the other cradled the covered bundle.

It would be a mercy to the child. Her hand trembled as she reached to remove the cloth that covered the child's face and eyes. The child would suffer nothing but a life of pain and suffering if he lived. Even she would be put in great danger if anyone were to ever learn of the child's identity. She would kill him. Yes, she was being merciful-

Her hand froze.

The unnamed child born of her mistakes stared back at her with innocent amber eyes. The hand that was raised holding the dagger weakened. Her resolve melted as she gazed upon the baby. The poisoned blade clattered noisily on the floor as it fell from her hand. The stoic facade which had only ever been shattered once broke once more.

She could not do it.

Tears flowed down her cheeks, wetting the bundled cloth. Slowly, she leaned down and embraced the baby. It was her child. She could not do it after all. She cried for something that would have happened had she brought down that dagger. She embraced the child to herself as she wailed loudly.

How could she have ever thought of doing such an unforgivable sin. She was not innocent to the concept of killing. Her hands were stained with blood, both by the times she had killed with her sword and by subtly directing others to kill her targets. She was, after all, an assassin. She was a member of the elite that dwelled in the shadows. Her true name long since forgotten by everyone but her. She was one of the dark secrets of the Kingdom of Asura, a member of the Crimson Rose, the elite assassins employed by the kingdom.

But even with all the blood she had shed, this was one life she could not take. She had not killed the child while it was inside her womb saying that the child should at least be born before it died. To that extent she had prepared extensively for this. But it was a failure.

She separated herself from the child. Her calloused hand caressed the child's unblemished skin. Hair as red as hers lightly covered the child's head. Her mind blanked out as she realized something. A name, she had not thought of a name for her child yet...

 _Shirou_.

The word appeared in her mind. She could not recognize of what language it was though she was trained in three of most used languages.

"Shirou." The words rolled of her tongue perfectly. "I'll name you Shirou..."

The sleepy expression on the child's pudgy face was adorable. Ever so quietly, she sang a song. It was not a lullaby by any standards. Not one for the ears of a child. It was a sad song of a tragic story. It was one that was almost too similar to her own.

A shackled girl, the daughter of a rich noble, who dreamed of being free. The girl was beautiful, undoubtly so. As she grew older, many sought her hand in marriage. But one day, his father suffered a great loss. And the only way he could recover from it was by marrying his daughter to another noble. The song ended with the girl now a woman, suffering further tragedy after tragedy.

Alicia leaned her head on the bed's headboard watching as her child slept.

Her sleep was short lived as she was jolted awake before a blade could descend on her head. Honed battle instincts kick in as she tilted her head to the right. The blade was buried in the pillow missing her by barely a centimeter.

A crossbow bolt buried itself on her attackers head throwing him off the bed.

"Cap- I mean Milady! Are you alright!? Are you unhurt?"

"I am fine Celeste. You may refer to may as Captain now, our cover is unneeded. What is the status of the mansion?" Alicia calmly wiped the blood of her face she cradled her sleeping child, as if nothing had ever happened. She placed the sleeping child gently on the bed and retrieved a dress from the closet.

"A regiment of the Vermillion Lotus have arrived and tried to force their way in. We were able to stop them but we were barely able to intercept this group. The mansion is under attack, Revan's group is downstairs holding them off for now." Alicia nodded at the short report in satisfaction. She grabbed the poisoned dagger she had dropped earlier and headed for the door, her child comfortable placed on the hook of her left arm.

"Where are Irina and Chloe?" Celeste stepped forward and opened the door for her.

"They are securing our escape route as we speak Captain."

"The Vermillion Lotus has made their move? Did you find anything that indicates which groups sanctioned them to take action?" Her hand whipped out into motion as she threw the dagger, a body dropped from the ceiling. Celeste handed her an unsheathed blade immediately but not before shooting another bolt at the body on the floor. The blade was a thin guardless, katana.

"We found an insignia from their captain indicating it to be from Lord Darius."

Alicia gritted her teeth. That backstabbing traitor! He was the only one who could have known where she was. She had trusted him a bit too much it seemed. It did not matter. She had prepared for this. She had already seen the signs of Lord Darius supporting the Second Prince's growing faction. It was only a matter of time before Lord Darius could gather enough power to claim the seat of a Senior Minister.

The First Prince had approached her months ago for an offer. It was a very tempting offer. It was because they were one of the two great military powers that could influence any and all political battle in the kingdom.

The first was the Royal Guard with its massive influence and great popularity among the masses. And then there was the Crimson Rose, the ancient group of assassins that was established during the early years of the kingdom to deal with the more unsavory criminals and problems that the Royal Guard could not deal with. Their power was deeply rooted because of the many favors they had collected over the years.

Alicia was the Twenty First Leader.

While the Royal Guard could claim to have Water God Reida Ryia as their strongest, Alicia was the practitioner of an ancient style of swordsmanship that was more geared toward assassination, the Shadow God Style. The Water God Style of swordsmanship relied greatly on reading intent. But the Shadow God Style was a swordsmanship that had been dedicated and honed to perfection for just that, the elimination of single target. It had been successful so far that no one even knew of such a style's existence.

The Water God Style stood no chance against them.

Alicia as the Twenty First inheritor had mastered all six secret arts that was the something that only the founder of the style had ever done, as such she was also the inheritor of its title. She was known as Shadow God Alicia.

Alicia had refused the First Prince's proposition. Now that her child was born, she was more inclined to think that this may have been fate's work. If she had accepted the First Prince's offer back then, she would have decided then to kill her child.

Celeste held a torch as she pressed a stone on the wall. A few clicks could be heard as gears turned revealing a hidden door on the wall. The door lead downwards towards into the tunnels connected to the sewers that then lead out of the capital.

Their shadows flickered against the walls as they descended down the stairs. Celeste dropped her crossbow and armed herself with a blade similar to her Captain's. The paths grew wider as they advanced.

"Stop here. Celeste, take my child." Celeste awkwardly received the deeply sleeping baby. They had entered a part of the tunnel that lead to a cavern, the cavern having multiple paths.

"What is it Captain?"

Alicia slashed a her palm with her blade and splattered a few drops towards the shadows. Her blade came up later not a second too late parrying the incoming attack and slashing forwards. She remained stoic , her face impassive. The figure that had attacked retreated back into the shadows. But there was no escape for that man.

"Celeste, I want you to take my child back to the Blind Rat Inn just outside the city. From there, talk to our contact. Tell them the Silver Maiden sent you. They will know what to do. Please protect this child as you would protect me."

"Of course Captain. But... err, I mean-"

"Speak your mind to me."

"What if, what if... you..." A look of understanding crossed Alicia's face, her face was ashen and her complexion pale. It was likely Celeste had noticed this earlier and was afraid to ask if she was alright. She was still weak from childbirth, this she knew. Even the mind numbing drug that she taken was still working. The midwife had been adamant that she was not to take it for a safer birthing of the child...

Too late for regrets now.

"I will not die here. This I promise." Her eyes hardened and glinted cold as steel. " I am the Twenty First Rose, this I swear to you Celeste. As long as I breath, I will not let any harm come to my child. Thus, I must live." She felt a warmth in her chest as she said those words. It gave her a strange feeling of satisfaction saying those words.

She looked at her child once more and gave him a kiss on the forehead. She trusted Celeste as she would her own shadows. Completely. She looked at the only possession she had ever treasured, her hand-made bracelet that was a gift from her deceased mother. She took it off and placed it on her child's right arm.

"Go." Alicia turned back to where the attacker had retreated from. She could hear Celeste's quiet footsteps. A smile adorned her beautiful face. Her smile turned into a snarl as she could make out the approach of four other figures from where the man had retreated from earlier.

A strange fierceness emanated from her. It was so strange that the first two figures faltered in their steps unsure of what they were seeing. Shadow God Alicia never showed emotion on the battle field. She was so cold and emotionless that some suspected that she did not have emotions. As such, seeing her like this for the first time unnerved her opponents.

"Oh spirits of flames I beseech thee. Daughters of the Sun, I ask of thee. The third star that fell from heaven, oh Remnants of Sol, oh Remains of Luna-" Alicia's incantation was unbroken as one of the figures attacked.

"Ignite beast of the hearth!"

The torches on the walls exploded. Various explosions could be heard happening above ground.

"Have you gone mad!" Unable to remain calm, one of the figure shouted in panic. "Do you plan to bury as all here!"

"Silence you North God dog! You have lost all rights to speak to me when you sold even you honor to that traitor Darius! Either I die or you will all die you gathering of cowards!"

"Hoh... a sharp tongue you have their young one. I might just take you on just to teach you some manners..." The shortest among the four steps forward.

Alicia smiled ferally.

"Come then. I will show you what it truly means to cut you delusional hag."

Sparks flew from their blades as the two rival Blade Gods crossed swords. A battle where only one would be able to walk away.

* * *

-0-

Celeste paused in her steps when she felt the earth shake. A second later, explosions rocked the tunnel behind her. A massive chunk of the tunnel collapsed closing off the path where she came from. She leaned against the tunnel walls. She could smell the faint pungent smell of decay and waste. They were near the sewers.

She steadied herself before her legs could give out from under her. Being in the presence of an enraged Alicia was not something she wanted to repeat. That added with of the four other people who were waiting for them in that cavern had nearly made her kneel. Those four, they were far above her. Their aura, the way they moved and the sheer experience and talent needed to reach such ranks were still beyond her.

Her breathing steadied.

She sheathed her sword and made her way to the direction of the sewers. She had a mission to fulfill. This was no time to immersed in fear and doubt. The Captain would make it out alive. Alicia promised didn't she?

But Celeste could help but feel the creeping dread.

There was no way they could have escaped unless the Captain guarded the rear for them. She stared at the child that slept on her arms. Celeste was by no means a fool. Though she may not be as strong as any of the others, she was the smartest among. She was the second in command for a reason. Her sharp wits and borderline fanatical worship of the Twenty First Rose enabled her to deduce immediately who the father of this child was.

The child was of royal blood, he was a descendant of the bloodline of the rulers of Asura. The child was a prince.

Celeste had prepared herself for this inevitability. It was bound to happen someday. Her Captain was a woman who many admired and secretly yearned for. Celeste was no exception, she had suppressed her desires and channeled them towards other avenues. But what that man did was unforgivable. This child was a result of her mistress's weakness. She wanted nothing more than to abandon this child and return to the Captain's side.

She could not do that. Her pace increased as she went on a half jog. Her Captain's orders were absolute. If the Captain had ever asked her to take her own life, she would gladly slit her throat and die with a smile on her face.

Her torch's light was weakening. It didn't matter. She was nearly there.

She paused for a bit of rest. A cold chill run down her spine. Even from this far, she could feel the Captain's touki fluctuating wildly as it was released. Whoever her enemy was, they were strong.

She trudged towards a part of the wall. Her empty hand turned into a fist, she used it to crush a small part of the wall marked by charcoals, barely visible under the weak light. The wall caved in to reveal a hollow hallway, the paths lighted by arrayed torches.

Further ahead was a staircase leading upwards. She discarded the torch as she neared the top of the stairs.

The raucous laughter from nearby indicated that she was already outside. She was in the bustling parts of the red light district, the slums. She glanced upwards towards the darkening afternoon skies, dark clouds were gathering. Without stopping, she dashed towards a horse tied on a pole. Her blade came free as she slashed on the ropes. She glanced behind her. There were three armed men scrambling after her, two rushing towards the stables.

"Stop! Stop right there! Under my authority as a captain of the Royal Guards, I order you to stop!"

She leapt on the horse's back ignoring the lumbering man who was rushing towards her.

"Shoot her! I don't care what you do to stop shoot her you fools!"

She grimaced as an arrow lodged its way on her back. The leather armor had blunted most of the impact only allowing the arrow to burrow into a single inch of flesh. More arrows flew by her head as she whipped the horse into full gallop.

It would not end like this. The Captain had ordered her to protect this child, she would not fail her.

* * *

-0-

Shirou's eyes opened blearily. He felt weak, so so weak. It felt even worse than the time Rin had blasted him a full few shots of Gandr at pointblank because of... because of, well he couldn't remember why she had done it but it was probably because he did something so utterly idiotic and stupid that infuriated Rin so much.

He felt a soft warmth pressed to his body. He tried to open his eyes but he couldn't. His instincts were shouting at him telling him that he shouldn't. But his other senses were telling him of something else.

It smelt of blood, leather, steel and lilacs... wait, lilacs? He could hear the clashing of steel against steel and the moans of dying men.

"*** **** ** ******* *****." His mind registered the voice, but not the what the words meant meant. The person that was carrying him was a woman, of that he was sure.

The clashing stopped as he was tugged back with the woman carrying him jumping away from a sword slash. His mind registered the thought. Someone was carrying him? That would mean that the woman was somehow a few sizes larger than him. She would have to be a giant.

Shirou was by no means small. At the end of his life, he was towering over most of the average Japanese. It was also because he never aged past his thirties remaining at his mid twenties. He was a fully grown adult. The ease with which he was being carried around with meant that the woman had great strength. He far heavier than how he appeared to be. What with him having a body composed of pure muscles and a bones of _steel_.

It was either that or his body had suffered a strange curse reverting him to his infancy. That would be the more logical conclusion though he could not accept it. It would explain why he was so weak, why he could not fully open his eyes and why when he tried to speak all that came out was the wailing of a baby!

But what in the name of the Blue could have done this? Reverting a physical body's age back to its infancy was not something that was under the Fifth True Magic right? It was not... probably...

He could glimpse the face of the woman that carried him.

There were ten men surrounding them, all with their swords drawn. The man that stood at the front was most likely their leader. He menacingly waved his swords and shouted in an rough gravelly voice. Shirou could feel the woman's hot and labored breathing on his sensitive skin. He calmed himself and tried to gather any other information. The language with which both parties spoke was foreign to him.

But it appeared that the men in armor wanted the woman killed. He did not understand why. He did not know the reasons behind it. But he would protect that woman that was carrying him. He did not know who was right or wrong. By principle, he should kill the woman so that he would not have to kill the group of men. A life for ten? But it was more likely for the woman to be his protector, someone related to him. Thus he would protect the woman.

She was, from what Shirou could see, barely holding on. Her face was pale, sweat streamed down her face to her neck. It was likely that she was already losing blood.

He concentrated and tried to get a feel of his circuits. He nearly panicked when he couldn't find it.

It was not there. He did not have his circuits. Instead, what he found within him was a magical core. What he found disappointed and saddened him. The core's prana generation was pathetic. It was barely even comparable to a single one of his former subpar circuits.

The men readied themselves to attack.

" _Trace On._ " He intoned in his mind.

He would have to make do with this. He would pour all of what little he currently had into this.

Prana gathered, swords materialized around him and the woman. The woman looked around confused, the men panicking and shouting. One of the men in armor turned back and dropped his sword, he started running.

Three. Four. Six. Eight. Twelve. More and more swords materialized in the air around them. This was surreal. There was no wrongness. There was no rejection to his magecraft. It felt like what he was doing was being guided by the world instead of being crushed by it.

The last of the men looked at him and the woman, then to his retreating subordinates. He dropped his own sword and ran for it. The woman stopped looking around and gazed down at him.

Ah, an elf.

The woman was an elf. Shirou began to sweat bullets. Elves did not hate humans, right? He was not about to be killed right? How had he not noticed the long pointed ears!? Rich purple orbs were focused on him with such an intensity that he felt he would melt if she stared any longer. But Shirou did not back down, he held the woman's gaze with an equal measure of intensity.

The woman collapsed on her knees. Her long disheveled hair was sprawled on the ground. Her shoulder shook as tears streamed down her face. Shirou could not tell if she was trying to laugh or sob. There was a myriad of emotions on her face, the most prominent being despair and awe. She chose to cry.

" _Alicia... why... You promised you would be here!_ "

The words meaning escaped him. But the pained expression on the woman's face assured him that she was grieving. Someone important to her died.

Maybe it was one of the nearby corpses. Maybe not. He reached out to touch the woman's hand, his hand barely able to hold one of her fingers. Shirou waited as the woman cried, drops of water already starting to fall.

It was as if the world wanted to grieve for the woman's lose as rain poured down on both of them.

* * *

-0-

Derp le derp derp... I was bored yesterday and had a little time on my hands. So I wrote this. Another generic stupid fic that I came up with. Updates will be only when I got time if anyone would even read this... lol. This has been in my thoughts for a while...

Why Mushoku Tensei? BECAUSE I don't know? I just felt like it? Meh... I'm still not returning from hiatus status. This is just a fic I felt like writing. So updates will be irregular. And oh yeah... this will probably be a little AUish. It will steer a little from canon...

(-w-)

Also, I'll be following Mushoku Tensei-verse rules which means. Probably a lot stronger Shirou... What else have I forgotten to write... uh, uh, I dunno? Will probably write more notes on my next update whenever that is.

So yeah... hope you enjoyed reading this generic trash reincarnation genre fic. Leave a review or something. Tell me what you think?


	2. Second Step

Disclaimer: I don't own anything...sadly...

* * *

 **Chapter 1(Infancy to Childhood): Prince Shirou Braeares Asura**

A massive old tome was set in the middle of a room, its pages open. On the books cover, the title 'A Guide to Magic' was written. It had been seven years since Shirou had first awoken in this world, or was it reincarnated? Whatever magic had brought him here, it had somehow been able to allow him to maintain most of aspects of his physical appearance.

The most noticeable differences for him though was the strange composition of his body. It was stronger somehow. Something that bothered him greatly. From what he had heard from _someone_ who had lived in the Age of Heroes his body was nearly as developed as theirs. His body was similar to the ancient people of his world. He was stronger and sturdier. The other difference was something he noticed when he was about eight months old.

It was hardly noticeable at first but with Structural Analysis, he was able to determine what it was. He was born with 'wings'. It was not there physically but for someone attuned to magic, they would be able to tell that there was something. It felt like the weapon he had inherited from _her_. It was always there just beyond his grasp. It was somehow similar to how Servants back in the Grail War felt when they were in astral form.

He did not know what it was or what brought it about. He had determined that it was something in his blood. Maybe it was from his mother. It was unlikely that it was from his father. He was sure of it. His father was human.

The pages of the tome were flipped a few more times before he could find what he was looking for.

The old tome was a book in Elementary level magic.

According to this book, magic was divided into seven ranks.

[Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced, Saint, King, Emperor, God]

This book was the first book he had opened since he had learned to this world's letters. His experience with the English language had helped greatly as this world's phonetics were eerily similar to it. It just showed that there really was a pattern followed by the human race in creating their language and letters. He had been in a few alternate realities before and he had been able to stay in some of them a bit longer in ranging from six months to three years.

A courtesy of 'The Kaleidoscope', his former boss and employer. He had suspected his reincarnation to be of Zelretch's machinations again but he had not noticed a trace of the Second True Magic being used on him.

Basically, this book had a few key principles that were both similar and opposite to the thaumaturgic practices of his world.

Firstly, this world's magic can categorized into three.

[Attack Magic], attacks a target.

[Healing Magic], heals a target.

[Summoning Magic], calls out something.

Easy to understand.

Magic had various functions but had it had originally been developed for war. Something that some magi of his world would call heresy.

The use of magic was based on mana (what they called prana). Magic could be activated by using the mana within, or od; or it could be activated by using stored mana. Maybe something like Rin's jewel magecraft. She could power more powerful spells by using the prana stored within her jewels.

To activate magic, one was either required to use [Incantations] or by pouring prana into a magic array. There were no further information regarding [Magic Arrays] on this book expect in passing mention of it but he suspected it was this world's version of [Runes].

[Magic arrays] were the norm a long time ago, but nowadays they used [Incantation]. But [Incantation] had a few drawbacks, it required about one or two minutes of full incantation before it could be activated. But [Magic Arrays] could be used multiple times after being drawn.

There was a magician who had been able to shorten the incantation time thus making [Incantation] the norm.

Also, a person's prana capacity is set when they are born. This was inconsistent with his experience in this world. Since he had first used his magecraft, his magic core's prana output had been increasing by minuscule amounts.

So he suspected it was hereditary. Like the magic circuits of his world, prana capacity and output maybe hereditary. So maybe he was still growing into them? He never was a true magus after all; he would need more information to create a proper theory.

Shirou found the information he had been looking for.

He held out the palm of his hand in concentration and begun reading the lines. It was a basic flame spell.

"Consume this offering of fire for thy own, let thy burning light gather here, Fire Ball."

He felt the sensation of prana travelling up his outstretched palm. A small fire burned just above his hand. He felt the strength drain from his body. Another thing that annoyed him greatly with this world. His prana was somehow connected to his body. Maybe it was because he did not have magic circuits but rather, a magic core?

He concentrated on the flame spell. Not everyone can become a magus, it was a fact of life. There were those who could and there were those who just couldn't. According to the book, the chances of becoming one was only one out of ten.

The fire started growing as Shirou directed his thoughts to the spell. He imagined the fire, the countless number of molecules vibrating in the air with the increase of heat, the oxygen being consumed. It was a surreal experience.

Never in his life had he ever imagined that he would be able to perform something like this, the ability to enact a mystery not related to his origin. Though it was improbably he would be able to master it that well or that fast. It was still satisfying.

But all this came at a price. He would never be able to use any of his more powerful Noble Phantasms. It annoyed him like an itch. The burden of his previous world had followed him like a ghost.

His more powerful phantasms were being used to keep the Primordial being pinned down, that beast that he had given his life to seal. He could not allow his mind to touch the memories of the blades that kept the Primordial sealed. Because that would overload his mind, it would break him with concepts so alien to him that he would never wake up.

The memories from the blades was a prerequisite of his magecraft, without it, the product would be no more than hollow shells. They would look the same, but they would not have what it was that a Noble Phantasm what it was.

The feeling of loss was overwhelming.

He would no longer be able to feel the euphoric rush of adrenaline as he wielded Gae Bolg, he would no longer feel the absolute sense of invincibility as he held Excalibur. All those weapons of great power were lost to him.

But that did not make the feeling of achievement that felt at the moment any lesser, he felt happy at the prospect of growth. He would become stronger again.

Shirou let his hand fall letting the fire disappear. The drain on his prana stopped. He started the second part of the exercise. He imagined the prana gather in his palm just like he had done earlier.

Then he imagined fire. What was fire? It was the light and heat produced by burning, the phenomenon of combustion manifested as light, flame and heat. Fire was one of the five established elements in western thaumaturgy.

Fire was what forged the _Sword_ known as Emiya Shirou.

The fire ignited.

This was tiring. But he would not grow stronger if did not push himself to his limits. The more he used his core, the greater it grew. It was not yet at the level that was any nearer his former power, but it was halfway there.

Shirou's concentration was broken for a moment with the door behind him suddenly bursting open. The fire dissipated into smoke. He felt intense fear and despair as a shadow appeared over him.

"Master Shirou." He could hear the odd mixture of frustration, anger and glee in that feminine voice. The first two he understood, the last one he ignored. Shirou did think that the person behind him did find a strange fascination for punishing him. And that was what made chills run down his spine.

He slowly turned towards the source of the voice with a stoic expression. Shirou applauded himself from not flinching when he saw the smile on Celeste's face. Ah... Rin, you have found an equal.

"Master Shirou, what have I told you about hiding things from me again?"

"Eh? Uh, what do you mean Celeste? I wasn't hiding anything from you? I was just ah- reading this book! See? It was had really interesting pictures!" Shirou tried to not shriek and run screaming like a little girl for the open window as the smile on Celeste's face widened imperceptibly. Oh, he tried...

The woman stood at tall at five foot and ten inches. Tall for this world at least. Her short purple hair was cut short just reaching her shoulders. She was beautiful by human standards, Shirou had seen his fair share of beauties ranging from goddesses to legendary Kings.

She was wearing light leather armor that barely hid her graceful buxom figure.

Celeste approached and took one look at the open book and sniffed lightly smelling the faint smell of smoke. She sighed heavily, the scary smile disappearing from her face.

"I thought so... So you were practicing magic again weren't you?"

Shirou's head drooped like a scolded child's.

"Yes..."

A person's head popped out from behind Celeste. It was woman clad in a customized version of a French maid uniform. Her pink hair and cheery personality combined with a well-endowed chest made her look like someone out of a teenager's wet dream.

"Uwaahh! So it was true! Master Shirou can do magic! This is amazing Celeste!"

Celeste sighed.

"You're making this harder for me Master Shirou. And Chloe... master is suffocating."

The pink haired woman let go of the boy.

"Puwaahh... can't... breathe..."

Damn those monstrous sized melons...

"Master Shirou!~ You could have just told me you know? I could even hire a magic teacher for you if you really wanted to learn."

Shirou's couldn't stop but gawk at the incredulity of the last statement.

The term 'magic teacher' seemed self-explanatory but how could other magi just allow their own hard earned skills to be learned by others? Well, granted magecraft may not be the right term for this world's mysteries (rightfully so since some of them could outright be called magic in his own world) and there seemed to be no natural laws that were violated with the enactment of mysteries.

"Wait, really? You'll allow me to learn magic? But I thought Celeste hated it?"

Celeste flinched a little at the question that sounded like an accusation to her.

"Well, yes. But if you wanted to I'd be willing to put up with it Master Shirou."

"Hmmm, hmm~" Chloe struck a thinking pose with a hand on her chin. "But... it will be hard to convince any reputable magician to teach a seven year old..."

Shirou hardly heard the last part, his mind still reeling from the revelation that he might be able to learn magic from an expert. He did not notice the small smile that crept up on his face.

"Thank you... Celeste, Chloe."

"Ah, well if you stop hiding everything from me I juuuust might consider it?~"

Shirou turned silent, his face going blank. Well he did have a few things to hide. One being the fact that he was a more than sixty year old man in the body of a seven year old.

"I was just kidding! Please don't cry Master Shirou! I'll try to find you one, you'll see. Maybe I could talk to that Saint ranked water mage who arrived at the local inn yesterday. Ah, anyway, dinners ready. Let's go eat Master Shirou."

"...Thank you Chloe, Celeste, I might never be able to thank you for everything you do for me."

"Mou, stop acting so uncute Master Shirou. It's scary when you start acting like that. It makes you seem really old. I don't want to see my little Shirou acting like Celeste."

A vein popped in Celeste's head.

Shirou's manly pride took a little hit from being called cute. He was not cute! He was handsome! Or so that was what Gil- ah, _she_ would have said.

Chloe scooped the small boy into her arms, her bosom almost suffocating the boy. Shirou tried to struggle in vain.

Well, manly pride be damned if he could experience this. Also, he needed to recheck his bounded fields for the 'nth' time again.

This was not the first time that Celeste had been able to approach him unnoticed. Or Chloe for that matter.

Though he may not have been any great magus, he was at least barely passable in most fields. And he had learned basic bounded field's creation. It was one of the skills he had been required to learn to survive most of his jobs from Zelretch.

It was as if they had presence concealment, a skill that any assassin class Servant summoned from the Holy Grail would have.

"...But you really are a genius Master Shirou. You're already learning magic! You're growing up so fast~. At this rate it's gonna make me feel as old as Celeste"

"But aren't you already old?"

"...And you're back being uncute again..."

* * *

-0-

Celeste drank her beer as she waited for the magician to arrive. It wasn't the best, but it did it would suffice. She did not indulge herself like this often. Only when she felt like there was a migraine coming.

There was another mug of half-finished beer on the table. The message that she had received from a _petal_ of hers produced another type of headache for her to deal with. 'That' person from the city of Roa was starting to make his move.

She had been expecting this. She was already aware of the few people who knew that Alicia's child was alive. During the past seven years, the Crimson Rose had been consolidating their strength. The Twenty First Rose's sudden disappearance had weakened them greatly. But not weak enough to be destroyed. She been keeping her contacts from the royal palace.

Celeste took another drink of from the mug. She directed her gaze to the bulky man who entered the room from a door in the back. It was the owner of this place.

He nodded to the owner of the tavern who was on the other side of the room. The man replied with a hand sign.

So her previous drinking companion had already left. She took a swig of her favored drink to drown all other thoughts, and most of her worries.

Master Shirou being the chief of them.

Her little master really was a handful at times. She wondered what he would be able to do next time. After what she had experienced seven years back, this was something that she had kind of expected.

Her master had been able to create swords from nothing but magic. Twenty swords that he had used to threaten there would be killers back then. That was something that he had done as a newborn infant. She knew it was him who had done that. Because who else could have?

She had been left astounded. Back then she had thought, 'Ah, he would become a legendary warrior someday.'

Master Shirou was destined for greatness. She was sure of it.

He was bound to become someone of great repute. This was predetermined before he was even born. What with him having such parents. Even now, he continued to surprise her. Just what kind of monster was Alicia's child?

Though she had expected no less.

He had an intellect that could put any scholar to shame, a mind sharp enough that it could easily put up with his lack cunning. More so than all of that, the boy was a genius magician.

The boy knew things that he should not have known. He could deduce more often than not, deduce what was happening around him. Celeste was afraid of him sometimes. She had never lied to her master because of those things. It felt wrong to lie to him either way.

 _Her Master was the Fourth Prince of the current Asuran dynasty._

He was the son of the King of Asura and a daughter of the former Twenty First Rose, the Shadow God Alicia...

As a newborn, he had been able to use complex magic to create swords 'without' an incantation. At nearly nine months old, he had already started learning how to talk. At the age of seven, he had begun learning letters.

Her master was a genius, a prodigy.

She would not be any less surprised if her master became as strong as his mother.

An apple never falls too far from the tree.

A dragon can only give birth to a dragon.

The mild alcoholic drink rendered some of her senses numb but she was able to notice the cloaked magician's approach.

The seemingly harmless looking girl greeted her.

"So, were you the one who asked for me?"

"Roxy Migurdia, I take it?"

Celeste observed the girl. An S-class adventurer and a Saint ranked Water Magician, it was a very impressive resume for someone of the demon race. Celeste had no bias against the demon race, but it did not make her any less wary of anyone that she wanted as a teacher for her master. More so because this girl could potentially be interacting with her master on a daily basis if the negotiations went right.

The pale skinned girl had sleepy half-lidded eyes. She had curt lips, one that she'd expect from a scholar, she did look like someone who looked like she loved locking up in a library. Even her hair was of unusual color, blue. But not surprising considering who she was.

"Yes. So what was it you wanted to tell me?" Celeste smiled at the curt and serious reply. She was already liking the girl.

"My companion was asking around the Magic Guild for a magician willing to become a teacher. Your name was mentioned and you were coincidentally the only one nearby."

"So you want to learn magic?"

"No, it's not me who I want you teach. It's my- ah, son."

Roxy regarded her suspiciously.

"I'd be willing to teach your son but of what age is he? And are you sure he is able to use magic?"

Well, she did expect such questions. There were some people who had wanted to hire magicians to teach their children only for the child to be unable to use magic.

"He is able to able to read and write at least. I've seen him able to do intermediate flame magic and elementary water magic."

"What!?"

Celeste couldn't help but smirk at her shock. She would have the same kind of expression if she did not know what Shirou was able to do. She did not want to make the girl faint by telling her that her would be student was a seven year old.

"Is this by any chance a joke? Because if it was, I will leave."

"No, I am serious. I'd be willing to pay you 1 Asuran gold coin per month complete with a place to stay in, food and other necessities. But..."

"That..." The blue haired girl paused trying to keep her jaw from falling, it was a hilarious sight. "I assume you have some conditions for this?"

Celeste smiled turned serious.

"Are you able to keep a secret?"

* * *

-0-

Roxy had a few reservations with the contract she had just signed. First was the condition that she would not tell anyone of the identity of her student or tell anyone about him. That was an odd request. Second was the pay, well she could 'not' not like it. She could have been satisfied with 15 Asuran silver coins. But no one outside of the capital was that rich unless they were a minor noble of sorts, and this place was nearly on the outskirts of the kingdom. It was nearly a pioneer village.

Third was that she regretted not wanting to meet her would be student first before agreeing.

A little boy of seven stared at her with wide eyes and a slack jawed expression. He seemed scared of her for some reason. That was probably because of her hair color, a common misconception among humans.

"You're... not human?"

It was a human boy. The elf was obviously lying when she said that the boy was her son. They did not resemble each other in any way. Maybe the boy was an adopted child. She moved slowly not wanting to scare the child.

"I'm Roxy Migurdia, I'm a Saint Water Magician and a member of the Migurd race. I will be teaching you magic from now on."

"Migurd... race? What's that?"

"You don't know?" At least the boy's fear seemed to stem from her not being human rather than suspecting she was someone from the Supard race.

The Supard race were known as the most vicious and cruel race out of all the Magic races. During the Human-Demon War, the Supard race was known as the Demon God Laplace's strongest warriors. They were so feared because it was said that during the war, they spared no one.

Men, women, or children fell before their bloody spears. It was said that when a Supard went berserk, not even their allies would be spared from their battle lust.

Their iconic green hair and the red gem on their forehead identified them. Many of the races were being discriminated because of the atrocious acts that the Supard race had done during the war. Some people from superstitious villages even killed children just because they were born with green hair.

People had discriminated her just because of her odd hair color. She had come to accept such a fact in life. There would always be discrimination, it was just that she was able to tolerate most of it that she was able to stay on the Human continent so far.

"Well, let's go sit down first. Then I'll tell you about them."

The boy relaxed his tense muscles a little but he seemed on guard. Very odd.

Roxy brought out a book. After flipping through it she put it down on the table. The picture on the book showed a picture. An undetailed map.

"So... let me begin by asking. What's your name?"

"Eh... I uhm, I'm sorry. My name is Shirou Fathira Nanael." Roxy nodded. As she suspected maybe the boy really was adopted. Celeste Nanael, that was the name that the woman had given her.

"Okay then Shirou. What do you know about the [Magic races]?"

"[Magic races]? Like the elves or fairies?"

What did he mean by fairies? There was no such race that was called that was there?

"Fairies? Well... Let's go on. The [Magic races] are known as races who are above the [Magic beasts]. You see, the [Magic races] were said to have originated from [Magic Beasts]. And [Magic Beasts] are what humans call creatures that are able to use magic innately or naturally.

The [Magic races] are still under the category of [Magic beasts] but unlike them, the [Magic races] are races that have gained sentience and are capable of higher thought levels."

The boy's amber eyes shined with another light, one of great curiosity.

"So you are like Phantasmal Beasts and Phantasmal Races?"

"Phantasmal what? Uhm, so I am from the Migurd race, a native from the Demon continent. You see Migurds are differentiated from the other races by their appearance and hair color."

"Wow... So are their other [Magic races] out there? Where can I go see them? What's the Demon Continent like?"

"Wait what?" This was getting stranger by the moment. The boy did seem cautious of her at first, but the odd sense of wonder and amazement that the boy had was better than the fear he felt at first.

"You may not want to meet other [Magic races] you know? Don't you know about the Supard race?"

The book shook his head.

"Okay. Let me tell you this Shirou. There are other [Magic races] that hate the Human race. One of them is the Supard race. Not even other [Magic races] would want to meet them. You see the Supard race are fearsome and heartless monsters. They might kill you on sight just because you are human."

"Oh..." Roxy panicked as the boy's amazement was changed with disappointment.

"Ah, but there are other good races. The Supard race are different. So instead, let's begin on you magic lesson, shall we?"

"Okay teacher."

"You don't have to call me that, just call me Roxy."

"Yes, Roxy-sensei."

"... Well, let's just begin. What do you know about magic?"

Roxy stared at the little ball of fire on the boy's hand. She had asked him to do a fire spell.

She was amazed. This was not what she was expecting when she had been asked to teach this boy. This boy was a _prodigy_. He was a once in a hundred years genius. What she had seen him done was chantless magic. A magic that even she could not do. Though it was an elementary fire spell, but still.

Her pride as a magician took a hit. Her indignation at having to teach this brat turned into shame and remorse. This boy was a talent that even she felt lacking to teach.

"Was that alright teacher?" Shirou stood there expectant.

"It was good." She knew it was better than good, it was amazing. "But not good enough."

No! Stop looking so sad you!

"Ahem. But of course I can do better!"

"Really teacher? So will you teach me? That was the only spell I could do without concentrating so hard."

Urk! Stop patronizing me you brat! And what do you mean without concentrating! You can't be so much more of a genius that you don't need to concentrate to do magic are you!?

"Of course! But it will take time, since you're nearly not as good as me, you will have to do your best." The shame and guilt returned a hundred times worse as the wonder filled eyes gazed at her.

"Osu! Then I'll be in your care teacher!"

Ah... what had she done now...?

* * *

-0-

Chloe stirred the boiling stew. Taking the ladle from the pot, she poured some contents of the soup into a bowl. She took a spoon and tasted it. Almost perfect but it needed a little more spice and salt.

She hummed to herself in satisfaction.

Master Shirou was a growing boy. He needed lots of veggies in order to grow up properly. Her hands move at an insane pace as she prepared the other dishes. Expertly handling the fire, she chopped some of the freshly harvested crop from the garden.

Without turning around she already knew that the master's first lessons were over. She lowered the flame and wiped her hands on a cloth. She turned to Shirou who was standing on the door expectantly.

"Ufufufufu~, what are you looking at Master Shirou? You can't be thinking of how perfect a housewife your Chloe would make are you? Ah but you can't Master Shirou, not yet anyway~."

A haggard Celeste entered the dining room. She was probably busy again with those contacts. Oh well. Hopefully she could take care of it. Chloe hated office work. Even reading just made her head hurt. But she was the only one capable of housework in the house, a job that she enjoyed doing even before she had been recruited into the Crimson Rose.

"Chloe, stop with such obscene teasing. I don't want you being a bad influence to the master."

"Yes~, yes~. You're just no fun at all Celeste. Learn to relax sometimes."

"I think you would make a perfect housewife Chloe."

Kyyaaaaa~, Master Shirou you~.

She smiled softly.

"Ah, thank you for the compliment master. But, I really think you're still too young. Hmmm, if you're at least fifteen then I'll be happy to _teach_ you something~."

"Chloe!"

"Hai~hai~."

Another person entered the room, it was the blue haired magic tutor.

"Ugh... insanely talented brat..." The words were whispered so softly, but for someone like her who used her hearing to battle in the dark, Chloe couldn't help but chuckle at hearing those words.

"So how were your lesson today Master Shirou?"

She took the plates that the boy had taken from the kitchen. It was endearing that he wanted to help her prepare dinner. If Celeste was not so tired that she was about to fall asleep, she would probably take over.

"It was great. I learned how to cast an Intermediate water spell. It was fun." Chloe enjoyed it better when Shirou was like this. She really hated it when her master eyes would sometimes turn so cold and empty... It was just wrong. A child should never have such eyes.

She was no stranger to pain, abuse and torture. But Chloe could hardly stomach it when her master would look like that. It felt like master was so lonely... so alone.

That's why she'd do her best of course.

"Intermediate water spell he says... more like a shortened water spell... How bad can it be? What's next? He'll be able to use a chantless Saint Water spell?" Roxy mumbled under her breath.

Well, Master Shirou was a smart child. Maybe...

Chloe was lost in thought as she put the food on the table.

"Let's eat."

"""Thanks for the food."""

Well she'd think about such things later. For now she'd enjoyed these peaceful, happy moments.

* * *

-0-

Shirou's footsteps echoed as his sandals hit the wooden floor. The wood creaked beneath his feet. The halls were sparsely decorated.

The two-story house was considered large for its size in a village like theirs. His room was on the second floor. There were six rooms upstairs with four below. He stopped when he passed by a window. He caught a strange scent of magic somewhere.

He paused and walked towards a nearby chair. Using reinforced limbs, he pushed the chair in the direction of the window. He could have easily jumped on the window sill but that would alert whoever was down there.

From his vantage atop the chair, Shirou scanned the grounds. Below him, he saw Celeste nearby the edge of their backyard talking to a hooded individual under the shade of a tree. The rising sun barely shed any light on the shadowed area.

The cloaked individual looked at the window towards him. The person said something to Celeste, he could see the person's lips move with his reinforced eyes. Probably notifying Celeste of him.

The cloaked person waved at him and smiled. Shirou waved back. He could have reinforced his ears to listen in on the conversation but that would be disrespectful invasion of privacy. Celeste turned towards him and waved, she then turned towards the person she had been talking to, and Shirou heard the brief farewell words.

He glanced at Celeste as she walked towards the house.

Shirou stared at the cloaked individual who remained still in the shadows. The person made no move to leave seemingly waiting for him to do so first. He bowed and jumped down the chair. He reinforced his ears. But even with his enhanced senses, he was barely able to hear the person as he left. The person's footsteps were muffled. Similar to how Celeste did at times, it was a mixture of magic and _something_ that wasn't magic.

Celeste would probably talk about that person if she needed to. He could always ask her. He had the sense that Celeste would never lie to him. The faint smell of peppermint alerted him to someone else's presence. A sleepy eyed Roxy waddled towards him in her pajamas, a towel in her right hand and a bundle of clothes on the other.

"Good morning Roxy-sensei."

"Mmmmhhh..." The blue haired magician acknowledged him and made her way slowly towards the bathroom. She was probably still tired. Her teacher had been a bit too enthusiastic when she had been experimenting and researching last night again. Probably on one of the thaumaturgic theories he had casually dropped on her more than a week ago.

Three months had passed since Roxy had first arrived.

It was a very eye opening one for him. The existence of [Magic races] further proved to him what he believed was to be the case here. This world might still be in the Age of the Gods.

It also shed some light on some things he had suspected. His physical condition for one. He had read on some of the books that Celeste had bought for him about the existence of other races. Books in this world were rare and expensive, most likely because they had not yet discovered the art of printing.

The book did seem to be handwritten.

According to the book, there were supposed to be six races.

[Dragon race]

[Human race]

[Demon race]

[Beast race]

[Ocean race]

[Sky race]

It only the Human race that categorized all of them under the [Magic race]. Talk about discrimination. Humans were the same in whatever world.

He met Celeste on his way to the backyard. He squashed the urge to ask her questions.

"Master Shirou, your magic lessons this morning will be cancelled. We're going to Roa. After we eat, I'll give you a bath. There's someone I want you to meet later." The seriousness in her voice could not be ignored.

"You mean the person you had been talking to?"

"...No, it's someone... important. Let's talk when Chloe and Revan return, okay?"

"Yes. So we'll be going to the city..."

"Good, do you know where your teacher is?"

"Ah, I met her going to the bathroom earlier."

"I'll be talking to her later, get back in before breakfast okay?"

Shirou nodded. Celeste left without another word. This left Shirou curious. If it was something serious, Celeste would probably talk to him about it in time.

He opened the door outside. Well, whoever he was meeting, they couldn't be that dangerous right? Celeste was tense for a moment there. It must be something important.

Those were Shirou's thoughts as he began his morning exercises.

* * *

-0-

A carriage being driven by a man in black cloak stopped by the iron gate. Celeste greeted the driver with a nod. The shutters were rolled down a little revealing a black and red mask that peeked from the gap.

"Are the preparation ready Revan?"

"Of course. How is the Prince? I hope he is well?" The man voice uttered the words 'Prince' he would reverently say ' my King'. Though his voice was bland and toneless, Celeste recognized his concern as genuine.

"The master is well." She returned.

"Have you informed him about his meeting yet?" At that moment, a very uncomfortable looking Shirou came out of the front. He was dressed in clothes similar to the attire of nobles. He tried to pry it of but a cheery Chloe admonished him for it as she fixed it again.

"Ah... Welcome back Revan. How was your trip?" Shirou held on to his collar trying to loosen it.

"It was fruitful my Prince. If you would be so inclined, I have prepared another gift for you."

"Really? Is it another blade!? Can I see it now?"

Revan remained silent as the pink haired woman that was tending to Shirou glared at him.

"Revan, what have I told you about bringing those kinds of gifts here again? I've told you for a hundred times already! Knives and blades are not good toys for a child!"

"Eh? But Chloe, I really like them..."

"Aauuuhh~, still... no means no until I say so!"

"Celeste, time is running short. Let's go."

"Stop ignoring Revan!"

"Master Shirou, let's go."

"Okay. We'll be going now Chloe, take care of the house while we're gone."

"Take care on your trip Master Shirou. This isn't the end of this conversation Revan!"

Celeste helped her master into the carriage and followed in herself. She sat herself comfortably beside her master.

"So what is all this about Celeste? Revan?"

Celeste sighed while the masked man remained quiet.

"Master Shirou, do you understand the power and influence that the Crimson Rose has?"

"Of course. But what does this have to do with anything?"

Celeste brought out an emblem. It was the symbol of the house of Boreas, the noble house that governed the Fedoa region.

"Lord Philip Boreas Greyrat of the House of Boreas has requested an audience with us. He has requested to meet you and discuss something with me."

"A... meeting?" Shirou's mind went through the scenarios.

He was supposed to be a Prince. His mother was the former leader of a very powerful military faction in the Asuran Kingdom. Celeste, his servant was the temporary leader of the Faction until they could find someone worthier of the position.

His existence and identity were supposedly a secret. But this Lord Philip somehow learned of his existence. So... was it blackmail? Lord Philip wanted to blackmail them by having the hand of knowing his identity?

No, that couldn't be. According to Celeste, the Crimson Rose was still in a decent position of power. Surely Lord Philip would not want to make an enemy of them?

So maybe an alliance? But what would Lord Philip gain from it? He was missing a few facts.

Shirou's eyes turned cold. His seemingly carefree childish facade dropped.

"Tell me about this Lord Philip, Celeste."

"Gladly, My Prince."

* * *

-0-

A tall crimson haired man was sitting on a comfortably luxurious chair. A muscled Beast race woman stood of a little ways behind him to the right leaning at the edge of an open window, seemingly lost in thought.

The man on the chair was Philip Boreas Greyrat. He was the second most powerful person in all of the Fedoa region, a province of the Kingdom of Asura. Various other Beast race maids scurried about preparing the room for an afternoon tea party.

It was a guise for a secret meeting with a potentially powerful ally... or enemy.

He had been keeping contact with one of his sources and they had stumbled upon this by chance two years ago. Someone like him could call this a good fortune, or a bad one. Regardless, he had taken risks and took this as an opportunity. This was something that could return the House of Boreas as the most powerful house since the Demon-Human War.

The maids returned to their posts as the preparations were completed. After a few minutes of waiting, the door revealing a purple haired elf. The elf gracefully stepped aside, behind her had been a boy of about seven years old. Probably near his own daughter's age.

The boy's hair was the color of red, much lighter than the crimson hair of a Boreas. It was closer to the color of fresh blood. So the rumors were true.

Philip stood up to greet his guests. He bowed in a show of courtesy. He showed little surprise when the child followed his bow in a much similar manner.

"Greetings..." He paused. The woman by the boy's side remained silent. "So you are Shirou Braeares Asura I assume?" Philip couldn't help but feel foolish for talking to the seven year old child first, but his instincts told him otherwise.

"I am. Greetings Lord Philip. Forgive us for being a little tardy, we've _met_ a few inconveniences on the way here..."

He could barely hide his surprise with the boy's fluent reply. He almost did a double take.

"I do not mind. Please let us take a seat first, it would not do for me to leave you standing."

A maid approached when they took a seat, pouring them tea and serving them finely made treats. The beast race woman who had been leaning on the window earlier, made her way to his back.

"So... what shall I be referring you as such, _Prince Shirou_?"

The boy waved a hand in nonchalance.

"Please don't, just refer to me as Shirou. I'd rather that we drop all formalities and start with the reason why you had wanted to meet me Lord Philip."

What?

His brain stopped working for a few seconds. He had been expecting the woman behind the boy to take over the conversation. Not this. He had speculated that the boy's greeting was something the woman behind him taught. But he had not been expecting this.

"Lord Philip, are you alright? By any chance are you unwell? If so, I'd rather we have this cancel this meeting for another occasion if you would. You look rather pale." There was a small amused smile on the boy's face.

Philip gathered his thoughts. There was a snickering sound behind him.

"My my, I had not expected such a sharp tongue from a child your age. You've raised a find child Shadow Saint Celeste."

"And who are you supposed to be milady?" The boy's gaze turned towards the Beast race woman.

"Master Shirou, would it be alright if you stopped referring to that brute as a lady?" The elf calmly admonished her master.

"Who are you referring to as a brute you old virgin!"

"Urk- why you! Muscle for brains!"

"Uptight old maid!"

"Stupid muscle Daruma!"

"Five hundred year old virgin!"

"Celeste, stop. This is unbecoming of you."

"I apologize on my servant's behalf Prince Shirou. You too, Ghyslaine, please stop." Philip took charge of the meeting before it could devolve any further into further squabbling.

"Hmmp, take care that you keep that sadistic-"

"Ghyslaine." Philip's sharp tone stopped her short.

"Arhg. Okay, okay. By the way boy, my name is Ghyslaine, Sword King Ghyslaine. A former companion of sorts to that servant of yours."

"I had not expected Celeste to have such nice friends as you, Lady Ghyslaine. I did not think that the Sword King Ghyslaine really was woman, a beautiful one at that."

"Hahahaha, you're funny boy. Aren't you a bit too young to be getting into a lady's pants?" The feline woman wagged her eyebrows in a teasing manner.

"That- that, I mean... whatever do you mean by that Lady Ghyslaine?" Shirou adopted an innocent expression but the light dusting of pink on his cheeks could easily be noticed by the Beast woman.

"Hahahahahaha! This, this is just priceless! I doubt you're servant has taught you everything you need to know. So how about I teach you in the other _areas_ she knows nothing about? How about it boy?"

"You insolent perverted vulgar brute! What are you saying to my master!?"

"If you stop being such a prude Celeste, maybe you could get laid."

The purple haired woman drew her sword.

"Well you mind repeating that to me after I beat you in a swordfight, you incorrigible muscle head!"

Philip had never seen the famed Celeste to be this... irritable. Nor had he ever seen Ghyslaine this livid. So it was true after all, that they could not stand each other.

"I suggest that we allow our escorts to leave for the moment _Prince Shirou_. As much as this would entertain me, I'd prefer that we go on with our conversation."

Philip waited for the arguing pair of women to leave the room before he turned to the boy. One could easily call the boy a picture of an innocence, an ignorant child. But Philip was not fooled. This _monster_ that now sat in his house, was facing him down. Even the child's diminutive form seemed to enlarge itself, profusing the room with his presence.

The few words that he had uttered were proof of that. By whatever Gods were out there, this boy thought and talked like an adult, a noble. Philip wiped the imaginary sweat from his brow.

"Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of such an invitation your home, Lord Philip? I knew that you had not been expecting this as an outcome."

He abandoned all pretense of deceit in the presence of the boy. He felt that such thing could easily be seen through, his thoughts collected. He spoke.

"To be honest, I was not expecting this."

"You were not." The boy affirmed.

"I was not even sure of your existence until today. You do look like mother, _Prince Shirou_. After her disappearance from court seven years back, rumors started spreading that she had been carrying a noble's child. I had not been expecting it to be the King's child."

"So I am. What of it? And why do you think I am the King's child?" Philip could not help but feel like he was being stared down on.

"Your eyes are the color of gold. Very few ever had such an eye color. One such bloodline that boasted of such are the royal blood of Asura. You're red hair color is very much from your mother though, so are most of your facial features."

The boy waited, keeping silent. Philip's face remained neutral on the outside, but inside he was sweating.

"All pleasantries aside, can you please get straight to the point?" So he was a no- nonsense person. The boy was straightforward, an honest type?

"I had arranged this meeting to talk about marriage, _Prince Shirou_. My daughter's marriage to be exact." The boy's eyebrows knitted.

Was that annoyance in his expression? Or concern?

"So are you trying to propose an alliance, Lord Philip? I did not know you were such a risk taker. Plotting behind the Second Prince's back could very well put you in a very risky situation. I assume you had wanted to propose your daughter's hand in marriage to me?"

So the boy was even aware of the current battle in the political arena. Not surprising considering who his servant was. The Crimson Rose always were aware of almost everything that occurred in the royal palace.

"Yes. I am."

Philip waited for the boy to reply.

There had been two results he had envisioned. The boy's intellect was not a factor he had considered.

If it had been Shadow Saint Celeste that he had conversed with, he could easily have predicted the flow of this conversation. If it had been Celeste she could easily appeal to her by promising protection to her master. Another offer he would have given was political support if he found the boy worthier than his current candidate...

They would be able to keep the boy's identity a secret. In exchange, the boy would be married to his daughter.

A child between them would carry the royal bloodline.

They would start from there. Whoever won the current battle for the seat of succession would have the greater advantage. But that would not have won everything. Sooner or later, they would weaken. Lord Darius was cunning coward. He had been playing with both the First and Second Prince. He was waiting for something, his move would tip the scales in any other's favor.

Right now, the Second Prince was winning. He had been able to find supporters from the north...

"I refuse." The boys stated with finality.

"Why?..." Philip had already stop expecting things since the meeting had started.

"It is not that I don't want to support you Lord Philip. I can see the results of your actions, your reforms. Your people are happy. The Fedoa region is prospering."

"...Then why do you refuse? If you entered the current, don't you think you can win? You have the right of succession. It is inevitable that the King would acknowledge you. You even have the Crimson Rose under your thumb. If you declared yourself now, it is likely you would be able to gather influence. The Crimson Rose's power though weakened is still enough. If you were to marry my daughter..."

"Yes, I know. I would undoubtly have your support. As tempting as it is, I don't want any of this. Because... I cannot condemn anyone in my quest for power."

The boy's eyes turned cold.

"Would you not pity your daughter for the misfortune that would befall her if everything fell apart? For all the potential that you see in me, I am still a mortal, Lord Philip.

And we mortals can die, we cannot tell when or where, but it is a certainty. I aim to become a warrior, a swordsman, not a noble or a King. My path is one filled with great dangers. It would not be strange if I would die before I could even take the seat as a king. Besides..."

This... this was unbelievable. For the first time since they had started, Philip showed weariness. Such monstrous intellect, such a sharp mind, and yet this would all be wasted because the boy wanted to become something else...

"You do want to become King."

"Yes. I hope you understand. You would gain nothing from this proposal. I have no ambition to rule."

He sighed. This meeting had drained most of his mind's strength more than he thought.

"Still, I would hope that you consider it." He dropped all sense of pretense. His facade slipped of revealing a tired man who wanted nothing more but the welfare of his people.

"I have never met anyone like you _Prince Shirou_. I probably never will. You will grow to become a good man. As a father, I beg you to reconsider. Lord Darius has taken his sights on my daughter. Are you aware of his... odd proclivities?

There are some rumors that he had a daughter of the Purplehorse family kidnapped because he had taken interest in the child."

"Yes, I am aware of that. But aren't powerful enough to protect her?"

Philip smiled bitterly.

"We are mortals. Mortals die, we know not when nor where. You can say that I am preparing for such an inevitability. And I cannot predict the future."

The boy fell into deep thought again. He leaned back on the chair waiting of the boy's reply. He smirked to himself despite all of it. The boy was not fit for politics. He was too straightforward, too honest.

But in front of him, Philip saw a potentially great ruler. If this boy aspired to be King, he would willingly support him. The child was wise beyond his age.

"She will likely never love me. And she will likely never be happy, are you alright with that?"

He was as long as his child was protected from that accursed man.

"As long as she will be free from someone like Lord Darius's clutches, I will be satisfied. Besides... even if you do not want to become King, who says your descendants wouldn't?"

"You are a cunning fellow Lord Philip. I feel like I have played into this trap from the very beginning. I will accept this as long as she would accept it, that would of course be unless she was of age to consider such things. "

"Who knows? Maybe you were? As for her accepting it, you can never tell _Prince Shirou._ My brother always did call me a good judge of character. "

"So what do you think am I?"

"You? You _Prince Shirou_ , are a man who cannot ignore something that is wrong. You cannot help but act when you see a problem set in front of you. But more than that, I think you are a warrior. So... do you think I am right?"

The boy stared at him, expression unreadable.

"...Perhaps... you are?"

* * *

-0-

 **A.N.**

I was not satisfied with the prose but I was satisfied with how things were written and how the characters were portrayed.

I was reluctant to make Roxy as Shirou's teacher. It would start to make the plot similar to Mushoku Tensei but I really wanted it. I also didn't want to make her Shirou's teacher just by the fact that hiring her as Shirou's teacher was maybe a bit illogical. Ugh. But oh well. I'll just see what I can do about this things. Roxy has some kinda inferiority complex. I tried imitating the scene from the novel. Not very original, I know.

Some characters may seem OOC, that'll be because it would be written from other's perspectives. Y'know somethin' like different people looking at the same thing in different perspectives? I dunno... lol. That's actually just how I want to write it.

Also on the part about the magic races and magic beast, I haven't read Mushoku Tensei in a long time so whats written here is what I can rememeber.

I'll try to pace the story somehow... but oh well.

And... what else... uhh... Philip, yes, that guy. In the novel, he was, I dunno, I think he did something similar to Rudeus. He manipulated the guy's character. Philip felt like someone who would manipulate you by taking advantage of your character. Rudeus knew he had been manipulated, but he still felt good about it... So yeah...

What else... uh... I think that's it.

On the reviews... I'd want to reply to some of those here so as not to have a repeat of such questions.

-Shirou's mother is an OC and so are the members of Crimson Rose...

-Rudeus will most likely be on the story but I don't know... readers can decide tho... want me to add him or not?

Please leave a review or something. I don't know when the next update would be again. I only had time this morning that's why I wrote this. But... oh well...


	3. Third Step

Disclaimer: Me don't own anything... how sad...

* * *

 **Chapter 2(Childhood): Consequences**

The boy's slow and rythmic breathing was the only sound that could be heard inside of the magically enchanted carraige. The interior looked a lot more comfortable than what one could expect from the outside.

Celeste caressed the boy's hair as he slept on her lap. The peaceful expression on the boy's face was one she secretly enjoyed watching. It was not often that the boy would relax like this. When he was awake, his expressions were always sharp, calculating and observant of seemingly every small detail. Those were something she'd expect to see on a hardened warrior, not a child of barely eight years old.

"... _Gilgamesh..._ "

This was another oddity that she had come to accept over the years. The boy uttered words that she could not understand in his sleep. Maybe some of those words were names. Particularly this ' _Gilgamesh_ ', she just didn't understand her master.

She had tried asking about it once, but when she uttered the name to him, the shocked and haunted look on the boy's face prevented her from pushing it. The boy carried a mysterious air about him. He was a mystery, one that she would one day have figured out somehow...

There was a knock on the window; she cautiously rolled down the shutters to look outside.

They were home.

 _Home._

It was an alien word to her. For someone who had nothing and no one else left, a home something that she thought she would never find. A home... a place of peace and comfort, a sanctuary and the place- no it was the people who stayed at the place that made it a home. It was a place that she knew would always bring her some peace of mind.

The large two story house with a wooden fence and a verdantly rich green garden backyards, the various trees that surrounded the place, and the peaceful neighborhood...

But now, the existence of this home was being threatened by the greed and ambition of others.

She would not allow that. Not now, nor ever. If those people so much as dared to use her master for their schemes, she would destroy them before they could even touch him. He seemed like a simple child with simple dreams... He wanted to become strong; he wanted to become the strongest. The way he declared that statement always confused her... and scared her.

It was as if the boy only lived to become stronger than others, when she once pointed out to him that the magicians were stronger than warriors, the boy gained an unhealthy interest in becoming a magician. Shirou did not seem to want to become stronger for any reason but only for the sake of becoming stronger...

That was wrong in so many ways. One would always want to become stronger for a reason. For the sake of ambition, for the sake of a dream, for the sake of their goals or for the simple reason of wanting to become stronger than others just so they could find satisfaction in flaunting their strength over the weak.

But the boy... It was a strange aspect of the boy. Wanting to become the strongest... no that was not it. It was the **need** to be the strongest. If the boy ever met beings like the Sword God or maybe even that _monster_... would he then set his standards higher than ever? Wanting to become {even} more powerful than such beings?

The answer was yes. That is the only logical conclusion if that truly is the boy's nature.

He had a saint's heart but a warrior's hands.

Master Shirou mumbled in his sleep as she made a move to carry him.

She stared at the boy's face.

Really?

She could never imagine where else the boy's nature could have come from but from that woman. Her beloved Captain...

"Is the Prince alright?" Revan whispered as they walked towards the house.

"He is fine, just tired."

"How has the meeting gone? What did the noble want?" She could not see it but she knew he was sneering disdainfully. Revan never [liked] nobles. The only exception was of course, the Fourth Prince, his Lord and master.

"According to the master, he wanted to ask us a favor. Something along the lines of a marriage arrangement between him and Lord Philip's daughter. He was... surprised when it was the master who headed the meeting." Surprise was an understatement. More like shock and admiration, maybe even awe.

"And the noble's intentions?"

"... The master has seen through it..."

"As I expected." There was a hint of pride in Revan's voice.

"But he did not deem it harmful to himself or his goals; he has arranged an agreement with Lord Philip. The details of the agreement were stated verbally, Lord Philip has complied with my demand that he put it [as an/in the] official records but I doubt he is foolish enough to put what they had discussed on paper."

"What do you think? Can we trust that noble?"

"It seems our preparations truly were necessary. We should expect Lord Darius to know of our master's existence before the night is over." Her reply was curt, her mind already going over various plans to protect their master over the different scenarios and actions that their enemies would take.

"You do not trust that noble? You expect him to sell us to Lord Darius? Shall I move out to silence him before he can do us any harm?" She heard the sound of steel being drawn, Revan's cool headedness really was only limited to matters not concerning his master.

"No, there is no need. It is not Lord Philip that I do not trust but his subordinates. Particularly that butler of his. Sooner or later, they would learn of our master, I'd prefer it to be now where we can expect their movement."

"Very well, what shall you have me do then?" Revan snorted, his blade returning to its sheath.

"Concentrate our efforts into gathering information and rumors around the palace. We will do nothing for now."

"It would have been better if we moved to eliminate the source of all our problems, wouldn't you think that killing Lord Darius would be a better solution? You were always too passive Celeste. What do we have to fear?"

"Revan! You know why we cannot remove Lord Darius even if we were able!"

She heard Revan grumble. The boy in her hands stirred. She glared at the masked man who raised his hands in surrender. He turned around and headed back towards the carriage.

"Then make sure to keep the master safe Celeste." She had a gut feeling that Revan wanted to add something but thought better of it. The darkness moved seemingly to devour the man's form. All signs of the man disappeared a second later.

"Of course I will..." She smiled faintly. Revan was _fond_ of the boy; he would never be caught admitting it. Something she could understand. Revan saw a part of himself on the boy, a beast who looked at its fellow kin. They both wanted power, hungered for it. But for different reasons.

* * *

-0-

A small blue-haired figure crouched over a table, the waning afternoon light reflected on her blue hair. A soft breeze entered through the opened windows as it lightly blew paper everywhere.

On top of the table, several books and parchments were scattered. Roxy scanned through scroll after scroll.

But she could not find what she was looking for. There were no records of it. Not even a mention of it was found. Magical arrays, ancient magic of the ancients.

Research on magical arrays were rare nowadays, most of it focused on seals and protection. There had to be something about that topic.

She remembered her student's words, " _Sensei is it possible to use magic arrays that are drawn on a person's body? Is it possible to use other mediums for creating magic arrays? Like maybe using pure and condensed mana?"_

A thousand thoughts had run through her mind at that time.

"No Shirou, I don't think it's possible."

She tried to refute it. But how could she? Those simple questions sparked ideas in her mind. Ideas that could very well revolutionize the use of magic.

He did mutter something about the difference in magic or was that mysteries, whatever that was... Shirou did confuse his terms sometimes. He referred to mana as prana and magic as mysteries.

A human body was not a suitable place to draw a [magic array] based on the fact that if the [magic array] was unpredictable, it could backfire and kill the person. Even the simplest [magic arrays] could kill if something went wrong on the drawings and symbols. [Magic array] creation is a complex art.

But she knew it was possible somehow. If one could reduce the time it took to chant magic, why was it not possible to simplify the art of [Magic array] creation? The dwarves did use runes; those were simplified yet more complex version of magic arrays. How was it possible that no one has thought of this?

With [magic arrays] that were permanently or temporally drawn in a person's body, one could just run mana through it and aim it to activate it. [Incantations] would become obsolete.

The only limitation that she could think of was how to reduce a magic array's size to make drawing it possible on a person.

Ah... truly that troublesome student was a headache to deal with. Roxy smiled bitterly at the thought. Maybe this was what her teacher felt like when he had been teaching her. Her student was like a dazzling star, an unpolished gem. She felt jealous.

She sighed in resignation. She let her head rest on the book she had been reading.

There was the sound of a soft thump on her door.

"Roxy-sensei, are you in there? It's nearly dinner time. Chloe asked me to go check on you." Red hair peeked from the edge of her vision. "May I come in?"

"You're already inside Shirou."

The child entered the room through the half-opened door. He had the same starry eyed expression that he always had when he was amazed by something.

"Wow... so many books..." His hands were twitching, probably wanting to open one and read it.

"You can read one if you like. Just make sure that you handle them carefully. Some of these books are very old and it's impossible to find copies of it."

"Yes sensei!" He gleefully opened one only for his expression to drop when he began reading them. He tried to turn the book upside down but the letters didn't miraculously reveal themselves to be readable.

Roxy giggle at the sight.

"That one's the 'Memoirs of the Demon-Human War', written by a demon by the name of Berek. It's written in the Demon language."

The child's face turned to disappointment.

"B-but there are some books written in the Human language on the corner over there." The excitement returned on the boy's face.

Really this child, what should she do with him...?

"Shirou..."

"Yes, Sensei? What is it?"

She dropped the melancholic expression, her posture straightening.

"I-I think it's possible."

"Huh? What is?"

"Your question earlier, I think it is possible. I'm sorry for lying to you Shirou, it's just that..." Her cheeks reddened at the shame she felt. She felt so vulnerable before the boy [as she confessed] her own mistake. "I don't think I can do it."

"Ah, uhm, it's alright sensei. You didn't do anything wrong to apologize to me... But what are you talking about?" Imaginary question marks floated on his head.

"The [Magic arrays], I mean. I think it's possible to draw them on the human body. It's just that it's hard to simplify [magic arrays]. The only thing I can think of are the dwarven Runes, but I doubt any dwarf knowledgeable on such ancient and secretive arts would be willing to share them..."

Her student looked at her oddly.

"Runes?"

Her student frowned at her pensiveness.

I'm sorry Shirou, you probably find me lacking and disappointing...

She was shocked when her student suddenly did something so strange that she was unable to act immediately.

He grabbed a quill and slashed his palm with it. A gash appeared on his hand, red blood seeping from the wound.

Shirou used his blood to draw a symbol on the ground.

She recovered and immediately rushed to the boy's side.

"Shirou!? Your hand, it's bleeding!" She grabbed the quill that he had used to cut his hand with; she noted how the quill's handle had gained a very sharp bladed edge, which was not there before. She reached for a cloth to try to cover the wound with.

"Sensei, look, it's a rune!" The child smiled at her happily as if nothing had just happened. The innocence that radiated of him proved to her what she thought, that the boy did not seem to care for what he'd just done.

"Why'd you do that!?"

"Eh? But weren't you sad that you could not see the runes? So I made one for you! It's a water ball spell rune too!" The boy tilted his head, not understanding what she was talking about. "I just don't like seeing people around me sad..."

"But! Why'd you do that!? Couldn't you just have used ink to show me the rune that you wanted to show me!?"

"But... it wouldn't work then... I... uhm, read on a book that prana enriched medium could enhance a spell's strength. So I thought that maybe magic arrays used the same thing, you know? Chalk or ink that contained prana?"

Eh?

She stared at the panicking boy. Her shock still had not faded.

"Dinners read~, ah Master Shirou! What happened to your hand!? It's bleeding! Let me take care of that Roxy, just go downstairs while I go take care of this."

Minutes passed as Roxy sat there on the floor in silence.

After what seemed like hours, her mind restarted. Her brain was still processing what the boy had just done.

' _...I just don't like seeing people around me sad..._ '

That boy was odd, very odd indeed. She had known this ever since she first met him. But those hollow words that the boy uttered felt like he was talking about an obligation that he had. It felt like it was something that the boy _needed_ to do something about.

'... _So I made one...'_

Then her shock grew as she realized something else. A trembling hand reached towards the blood drawn rune. She feed mana onto it. The draw on her was small, barely noticeable. But a ball of water condensed right above the circle.

"That... that troublesome boy!"

Her mind could not comprehend what happened. She felt angry, happy, sad and extremely annoyed. There were a myriad of emotions on her heart. But the most prominent was confusion. Moments later she fainted.

* * *

-0-

It was getting colder as the winter solstice approached. It did not snow in this part of the Kingdom, but the cold could still be felt. It was very much reminiscent of Fuyuki City in December. Shirou watched as flocks of birds moved in droves southwards. It was such a fascinating sight that he was entranced. Creatures instinctively seeking warmer areas, the hunger and cold driving them onwards.

There were four of them in the backyard.

Roxy-sensei looked as disinterested as usual, but the quite rapping of her fingers against her staff betrayed her curiosity. Every once in a while, he would catch here staring at him for some reason. Chloe was under a tree watching them and Celeste was standing in front of him. There was a wooden sword in her hands, the other one on him.

"Master Shirou, are you listening to me?"

Shirou was brought out of his daze when the hilt of the sword descended on his head.

"Ouch! Uh, eh? Ah, yes, yes. What was it again?"

"Master Shirou..." Celeste's shoulder slumped.

Shirou stared at the wooded sword in his hand.

"Please listen carefully. The mastery of the blade is a prerequisite for every member of the Crimson Rose. You are no exception master. Even if you don't want to, you are still the heir of the Rose. It would be a dishonor to your mother's memory if I didn't at least try to teach you the basics of the sword."

"Right, I'm sorry Celeste. But... I really don't need to learn anything. I already know everything that there is to know about swords. Besides, aren't I too young to be learning this?"

Roxy snorted in a very un-Roxy like manner.

Shirou glared at his sensei who had the gall to look back at him with a flat stare.

Roxy-sensei, I very very much respect you. But this does not mean I will not get you back for this!

Celeste put the practice sword over his shoulder. She was also looking very much unconvinced by his words.

"Master, is there a reason that you don't want to learn the sword?"

"But I really do know _everything_ there is to know about swords."

The elf sighed.

"Master, knowing about swords is different from wielding them. It as much as reading a book on spells cannot grant you the experience needed to cast the spells."

Shirou could not help but accept defeat.

"Alright..." He looked at the sword in his hand. "But I really do know..." His last words were barely a whisper.

He found nothing that could be gained from receiving basic sword training from Celeste. It was not pride but rather the logical conclusion he had arrived to. In short, it was a waste of time. It was better if he just kept up his current physical regimen, daily meditation and magical training.

If he truly wanted to hold a sword again, he needed to put his body back at his former physical peak. He did not need to train with a sword physically, he only needed to meditate. Inside him was a world of countless blades, what better place to practice swordplay in than a place full of swords? If he wanted, he could easily gain access to thousands of years of history of a sword. With that method he could master any sword technique with astounding ease. And he could even do more...

 _ **Forging the perfect blade**_...

He held the practice sword in his hand. It was fifty eight centimeters in length; it weighed no more than a kilogram. The wooden blade was made from a hard wood that was harvested ten kilometers north of Roa. The blade was light, more similar to a katana than a bokken.

Shirou placed the sword in his right, his left hand holding the hilt. It looked like a standard Iado stance.

"Well... at least you know how to hold it."

"Now-"

As if by some work of fate, which Shirou thank any God that was out there, Revan arrived. His blood red armor and black cloak noting him easily as a very dangerous individual. There was a bone white mask on his face, only the two eyeholes present on his mask gave the clue to his identity. Dark blue eyes that very much spoke of a fierce disposition, those were eyes that would easily scare away lesser men if they ever so much as made contact with it.

"Master Shirou." He bowed towards the boy in respect, and then turned towards the elf. "Celeste."

"What is it Revan?" Celeste looked annoyed, she had the right to be annoyed. "This better be some news for you to interrupt-"

"The village is about to be attacked. A Goblin Lord is on a warpath, they've been sighted heading south towards Cloris. They will most likely pass through here then towards Buina before they reach the forest in Cloris."

As if on cue, the blast of a horn reverberated from the watchtower.

What could Goblin Lords be doing here? Weren't those creatures supposed to be rare? A Goblin Lord was so rare that only one was sighted once every hundred years. When goblins gathered, it was usually under the banner of a powerful chieftain. A Goblin Lord appearing would mean that there were several tribes under its command.

Goblins were weak by themselves. But the reason they were so dangerous was because they were all too often underestimated. A goblin was the size of a child but with killer instincts of a beast and the strength of a fully grown man. Scarier was the fact that goblins were able to increase their population on such insane speeds.

They were the pests that could never truly be exterminated.

The frontier towns had few inhabitants for a reason, the main one being that it was dangerous too far from the bigger cities. It was not unusual for a frontier village to disappear overnight because of a monster attack. Monsters of every kind roamed the countryside. The Royal Guards were responsible for guarding cities and as such they usually sent out knights to wipe the monster colonies that spawned to near populated areas.

"Chloe, get Master Shirou to the Village Hall. You will stay with him as his guard in case some of them make their way through the barricades. Roxy?"

"I will help." The blue haired girl stated as she headed towards the gates.

"I want to help, too!"

"What!? No! You will be staying with me Master Shirou. It will be dangerous outside. Besides, you'll be safer with me~."

This was annoying. He was not a child damn it! Well, he was physically one... But still!

"Celeste... please let me help." Shirou looked at the elf, his eyes starting to water, his lips pouting.

Take that!

"...Urk-... Ye- I mean no! That's still a no, Master!"

Shirou used puppy dog eyes magic spell! Celeste has resisted charm. Shirou has done 0 damage.

Well... at least he tried.

Shirou looked at Chloe, then at the massive war axe in her hands. It was as tall as her and the blade was twice her shoulder length.

"Tee-hee~, do you like it Master Shirou? This is my Jormungand!~ It's beautiful right?" Chloe twirled the axe as she would a stick, the extreme ease she carried it with a single hand rang a few warning bells in Shirou's head.

Shirou shivered. Not out of fear, maybe a bit out of it, but more than fear, he shivered in ecstatic excitement! That weapon...

Well, he had suspected that Chloe was strong, but not _that_ strong! The insane reflexes, the insane strength and the all-natural and balanced posture of a warrior who was ready to strike at a moment's notice. Did he choose to ignore it? Or did he not just notice it.

And where had she gotten that weapon? He barely noticed the weapons appearance, only the tangy smell of copper and iron had notified him of its existence. That weapon smelled of blood, so much blood. He looked at the blade losing himself in its memories.

 _A field of dismembered corpses, a bloody battle field, flocks of carrion birds swooped down to feed among the dead._

 _In the distance, a black flag embedded with a red rose flew as the wind blew against it._

 _A group of men were straining to hold a child with chains that were attached to nails, all of it piercing the girl's body from various angles._

 _The girl looked to be no more than thirteen years old. In front of the child was a regiment of knights and warriors cloaked in black and red armor. At the head of the knights was a young red haired woman. Her ageless beauty seemed to be out of place in such a dreadful place._

 _Blood and entrails were scattered over the place, the screams of wounded and dying men were the only thing that could be heard._

 _The woman stood in front of the girl with stoic face and unyielding pressure._

 _The girl laughed with mad glee. She was happy! A worthy foe! At long last someone who could kill her..._

 _She ignored the pain as she twirled her axe breaking of the chains holding her down._

 _There was manic glint in her eyes, a sign of her lost sanity. The grin on her lips widened with the woman's next words._

 _"Serve me. Or die."_

Shirou forcefully cut off the source of prana when he noticed a weight materializing in his hands. The prana dissolved before it could materialize into a weapon.

He apologized internally towards Chloe.

He had seen something he should not have. He just couldn't place the image of that bloodthirsty berserker with the Chloe he had come to know. And that red haired woman...

Why couldn't he remember her face when he has just seen a memory of her?

But the most important revelation for him was the power she had... It was far... so far... But it was not beyond his reach. So this was the power of someone who was nearly on the level of a 'God'. This was a being who was only a step away from becoming such an existence.

He'd been too complacent. He'd lost himself on the feeling of contentment that he thought he was doing enough to grow. He felt disappointed with himself. A fire ignited within him, an urge to become stronger than ever. A goal presented before him, an obstacle that he had to overcome.

* * *

-0-

"-Spirits of the Flame, servants of destruction. Spirits of the River, daughters of the Great waters. Twin-headed Crow Spirit of Fire, flutter thy wings. Azure dragon of the thirteenth rivers, scatter thy scales. Let thy burning fires consume my foe, may thy cold breath blow upon my enemies!

[Frostburn!]"

Cold fire swept through the monster's ranks, incinerating all that it touched leaving nothing but cold frozen bones.

Roxy panted with exertion. It worked...

It worked! By the great demon's name it worked! Such a spell that went against the established 'laws' were not supposed to even do anything, but somehow...

She couldn't help herself. She laughed. She had just created a spell that did not follow pre-established rules but it was also a King ranked spell! Wait till she told her student of this. She'd probably see that same sparkle eyed wonder he always had when she told him something new about magic!

She stopped her imagination from running wilder, she was on a battlefield. She had to focus.

Arrows rained down on the advancing hordes. Most of the villager who stayed on frontier villages were either retired soldier and adventurers or people who were strong enough or foolhardy to brave such dangers.

This particular village had an unusually large number of such people, adventurers and soldiers. The barricades held strong.

"The right flank is weakening! Send the fourth group to reinforce our right and push them back! Good job Water Saint Magician." Celeste gave her an odd look but spoke before she could explain herself. "As much as I'd want you to continue casting spells, I'd want to ask you to hold back for now. Something is changing on the opposite side."

"Okay, so you want me to rest for now? Anything else I can do?"

"None for now, a Goblin Lord is yet to appear. If the reports were true, then they should have shown themselves already." Celeste turned pensive as she started heading towards the frontlines. "Unless..."

She was not able to hear the words she whispered but she was able to take a guess.

Unless the Goblin Lord was an [Irregular]. Irregular monster were those that were able to gain sentience far above their brethren. It was said that most of the Magic Races came from such creatures. There were a few a evidences that supported such theories.

But for some reason, the [Irregulars] that evolved from this era did not procreate and increase. They merely remained as [Irregulars]. The Goblin Lord being an [Irregular], no matter how low its chances of being as such, was a very dangerous enemy. It could even be that the Goblin Lord could become a Goblin King.

That thought terrified her.

She hoped it would not come to that. Because nothing less of an Emperor Magician or Swordsman could kill a Goblin King. It would be nothing short of a miracle to find one in a place as remote as this village.

* * *

-0-

Shirou observed the battle from atop the Village Hall's roofs. Beside him was Chloe who was idly playing with her weapon.

His reinforced eyes could see a few of the villagers getting injured but so far, no deaths had yet to be incurred. He saw the sight of his elfin guardian who was advancing towards the goblin hordes with a sword in her hand.

 _Silverleaf._

She started to sprint from her half jog. Halfway to the monsters, her speed burst astronomically. She tore through the goblins with extreme ease and the natural grace of a dancer.

Men and women from the reinforcements followed after her and pushed the goblins back. The coordination and discipline that Shirou witnessed was not one he would expect to see here but from the knights. That was of course, unless most of the people of this village were soldiers.

He would have thought no one else but Celeste had anything to do with that. He was a prince after all, one of royal blood. He expected protection of some sort would be provided to him. But an entire village as a guard for him? Wasn't that going a bit too far?

Shirou still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he was born a prince. The Fourth Prince of the most powerful Kingdom in the world. He could not enjoy power that came without a price, without effort. But he still indulged in it...

His eyes caught sight of something on the battlefield. The goblins were... retreating?

Strange. According to the books he'd read about this world, the goblins were a monster race that attacked others indiscriminately. They would often raid outlying villages to pillage for food and steal women.

Shirou frowned in distaste.

The goblins far outnumbered them, if it weren't for the skills and coordination of the _villagers_ , they would already be overrun. Sooner or later, the barricades would fall. If they pushed any further... he would be forced to take action. He was sure Chloe could make a move and take up to the frontlines but he doubted that.

She did not care for the lives of others as much as he did. Chloe was not a bad person in any sense. He was sure that if he was not there for her to protect, she'd not hold back and attack instead. It was cold of her to choose only to protect him, but it was her choice. She would make sure to make no harm come to him, but in exchange, others might die.

 _If I had the power to make a change, why shouldn't I? If I had the strength to save others, why can't I?_

He could see Celeste rallying the remaining warriors on the battlefield. She was directing the villagers back into the barricades, some of them were already moving to repair it. Were they expecting another attack? If so... that was not the main force but maybe a raiding party? A scouting force? A probe to their defenses?

The first guess was the most likely. The goblins were not supposed to be that advanced with tactics but he could not discard the possibilities.

Just what was happening out there?

"Chloe, why are the goblins running away?" He spoke the question with intent of innocent inquiry of a child. But his more mature self spoke, to ask for the woman's opinion.

"Hmmm? Ah~, maybe they got scared of me?" She nodded her head sagely. "Their leader must have seen me and got so scared that they did not want to take my little Shirou away!~"

"Eeehhhh? You mean the goblins have leader? Like maybe a chief or a king?" He could see Chloe going stiff when he mentioned the word king. He didn't know that goblins had leaders. That was not in the books. Maybe it was only knowledge that adventurers or active soldier on frontiers had?

"Don't worry master Shirou! Even if they had a king, I'll beat up their big bad Goblin King. Then maybe I'll take its head as a trophy~. What do you think Master Shirou?"

Don't speak of such brutal things with such a sweet smile on your face. It's disturbing and scary!

"...Well, we might not have a place in the house for a trophy. Celeste would never allow it."

"Oh yeah... Kuhh, but I can still hunt one for you if you want one!~"

"No... There's no need for that Chloe." In short, what am I going to do with a Goblin's head? Well, I could probably use it for experiments if I could find a way to preserve it...

No. Still a no, not risking Celeste's ire was better than a goblin head as a trophy.

Shirou caught sight of movement on the horizon. He reinforced his eyes further to see a cloud of dust rising in the distance. A few minutes later, the cloud of dust turned to figures. It was a knight division. Their lances and flags were raised high in the air as they galloped towards the village. On their flags were the symbol of the kingdom of Asura and the symbol for house of Boreas of Fedoa.

Even from a distance, Shirou could sense the imposing aura that the person at the head of the knights emitted. Shirou could make out the image of an old man in plate mail armor. Beside the old man was a familiar Beast-kin woman with an eye patch over her right eye...

"Oh... oh my~... so that's what drove them away. The big bad Goblin King must be smarter than I thought..." Chloe giggled half amused and half annoyed.

Shirou did not know if she was joking about the goblin king being smart or she was just annoyed.

* * *

-0-

The knights rode swiftly, a force was dispatched to route the retreating goblin forces. The remaining ones rode towards the village of Alna. What they found was not what they had come to expect. A barricade of wood and iron fences surrounded the village. Atop the wooden walls, archers were posted, some patrolling and looking out for the what they were expecting as another wave of attack.

The villagers spotted them and called to the others inside.

There were numerous goblin corpses but none of dead villagers. The villagers acted like professionals soldiers, organized and disciplined.

They were soldiers.

Ghyslaine could see it in the way they moved and acted. Only one among ten of the villagers were non-combatants by her estimate.

So they did find the village.

She caught sight of a red headed boy who was walking amongst the wounded masses, he was being escorted by a pink haired woman dressed in a maid's uniform. She was not fooled by that woman's appearance either, the scent of blood was too strong on her.

The boy was attending to the wounded, he seemed particularly knowledgeable with bandaging wounds and applying herbs. Her eyes swept through the entirety of the village. It looked normal for a frontier village.

The rough coughing of a man alerted her to someone's presence. She nearly leapt back when she caught sight of a masked man who was observing her quietly. Her hand instinctively went to her blade's hilt before she knew it. Her senses told her this man was dangerous, she hadn't even notice him approach.

"I will be your escort for the time being while you are in this village Sword King Ghyslaine." His tone was bland, his voice sounded distorted from behind the mask.

"Not the talkative kind are you?"

The man remained silent. She shrugged. Not that she'd be doing anything here. She was just here to watch the enterta- ahem*, she was here as an escort to her Lord.

The captain of the knights strode forward in the middle of the town. His shining armor caught most of the villager's attention. She could imagine the masked man behind her sneering. Probably thinking how easy of a target the man was.

"To the people of Alna village, I am Captain Garand of the knights of Fedoa. I am here to seek your aid in finding the Fourth Prince of Asura, Prince Shirou Braeares Asura!"

That stupid stupid idiot! What did he think he was doing!? Lord Sauros did not ask him to do something like this! That noble's son who had been newly assigned as the _vice-captain_ of the Knights Corps of Fedoa was getting ahead of himself.

There was a small buzz among some of the innocent villagers.

Ah well, not her business if that prick got himself kicked out of the Knight Corps for doing something so stupid. She didn't even know him. But she was surprised though, that stupid vice-captain already knew of the prince's existence? She didn't know what Philip and Prince Shirou discussed but she knew it not supposed to result in something like this.

She caught sight of a small cloaked figure trying to mingle with the common people. The dark crimson hair that peeked from her cloak was a dead giveaway to Ghyslaine. The girl even smelled the same. She sighed in frustration.

She was about to approach when she noticed the Prince walking towards the girl.

Oh! Some good show was about to start! She redirected herself towards a nearby shade where she could see and hear the two without being noticed by the girl. She didn't care if the boy noticed her though, he probably already knew she was here anyway.

"Are you lost little Miss?" The prince greeted the cloaked girl.

"What!? Who are you calling little you brat!?" The girl's fiery temper was getting ahead of her. Some people around them were already starting to take notice.

"No need to be so violent uhm... My name is Shirou, are your looking for someone?"

"Eris. My name is Eris. And yes I am looking for someone. I am looking for this boy they're calling a prince. I want to have a _personal_ talk with him about a certain marriage proposal." The looked at him quizzically.

"Oh. That can be arranged. I-" The boy calmly took it when the girl took ahold of the lapels of his robes and shook him violently.

"NO! You don't understand! I want to talk to him now." The girl face was exposed with her violent tantrum. Her nose was upturned and her lips formed into an obvious frown.

The girl noticing that her hood was down panicked and hastily fixed it. She grabbed the boy by the hand dragging him away from the prying eyes.

"But you are talk- Gah! Wait! Where are we going!?"

Ghyslaine followed after them while trying to hold down her laughter. She looked back at her silent shadow, the man was just doing his job but she couldn't help but feel annoyed. She couldn't lose the man no matter how fast she went.

She stopped when the girl and the unidentified prince entered an alley. She followed after them, careful not to get noticed.

"Uh, Miss Eris, can you please let go of my hand robe now? You're strangling me..."

"Oh. Uhhmm, alright. Now..." Eris looked around her and seemed satisfied to find no one around. She took off her hood and looked at the boy. "So, do you know where I can find this prince?"

The boy nodded.

"Good, good. Now, bring me to him. I have a few things to discuss with him."

The boy looked at her oddly.

"Do you even know what the _Prince_ looks like?"

"Of course I don't, I haven't even seen him."

"Oh...so, what do you want to talk about?"

"That's only between me and him! That evil prince! Grandfather said that he was here to talk with that evil man because he didn't want that prince to take me away from him. He was angry when he heard the butler tell him about it."

"Why do you call the _prince_ evil without even knowing him properly? Shouldn't you judge a person only after you met them?"

"Grandfather said he is evil so he is! And he would probably try to de-desecrate? Uh... what was that word that Grandpa used? De-de... Deceive! Right he will try to deceive me!"

"Why should the _prince_ deceive you? Lies and deceit are an unpleasant distortion of the truth. If someone wants to say something, shouldn't they just say it? So... why?"

"You're not making any sense! Stop asking questions and just bring me to him!" The girl was slowly losing her patience and was slowly starting to tremble.

Ghyslaine held a hand to her mouth to prevent the sounds from escaping. Oh this was just so hilarious! Any moment now, Miss Eris would blow up and try to beat the boy up.

"Master Shirou! There you are. I've been looking all over the place for you. Now where had you been running to? Oh? And who's this?" The pink haired woman gasped in mock disappointment. "Master Shirou... don't tell me that... you're trying to hit on a girl while in a dark and hidden alley away from the prying of strangers while your two indulge in your dark desires-"

"What! We weren't doing any such things!" The girl denied.

"Chloe! Please stop! You know it wasn't like that! You were even following us." The boy desperately tried to defend himself.

"Ah... woe is me... What have I done wrong in raising you Master? My little master is already a man..."

"Chloe!"

"Alright, alright. I'll stop... for now..." The pink haired woman smirked when she saw her master reacting. "Ah... but it seems you've already met your fiancé Master Shirou. You really do work fast." Chloe nodded sagely.

"Yes. This is the only way for you Prince Shirou. Please work harder so that I can have more little Shirous to pamper!~"

The boy deflated in defeat. He was already heading towards the exit when he felt a hand on his shoulder. The palpable dark aura that the boy felt prevented him from turning around in fear of what he might see.

"So you really are liar?~ My _Prince~._ "

"But- but I never did lie-" Those were Shirou's last words before he was beset by an irate little girl with a temper tantrum that could rival that of a certain blond haired king.

The boy chose to wisely to shut-up and retreat. And by retreat, she meant run like a devil was on his heels. It might as well be a literal devil with the way little Eris was tearing through anyone who got in her way.

"Stop chasing me!"

"Then stop running you coward! Stop right there and take it like a man!"

"But you're chasing me with a wooden sword!"

"I promise I won't beat you if you stop running!"

"You're lying! Your face says it all!"

"No I'm not! Now come here you!"

Ghyslaine couldn't stop laughing even when she fell off from the roof. She didn't care when she felt like a certain someone had just sworn vengeance towards her for not doing something about the crazy girl that was chasing him. From a distance she heard the boy swearing.

"... _I will have my vengeance Ghyslaine! And it will be legen- No! Don't hit that spot! Urk! No! Stop! Chloe! Please get her off me!"_

Right. He could have his epic vengeance if he survived the red devil's wrath. That is, if he survived.

* * *

-0-

The beast borrowed its way to the core of the six-layered world. All it wanted to do was survive. Yet it was called evil for it. Nothing or no one was truly evil. The scales of good and evil are subjective. There was no being that truly evil and no being of purely good intentions.

This beast was once defeated by a man who was hailed as the Last Hero, the Hero of the End. But it was not destroyed.

Deeper it burrowed, a beast seeking its prey.

It waded through the depths of _nothingness_ onwards to a place that only it could find. This beast was originally a dweller of the astral world. But it had tried to manifest itself unto the mortal plane to destroy all of humanity. It had succeeded in its first goal, but it was thwarted before it could continue with its plan.

It had barely a fraction of its strength, but it was enough. This beast was but a fraction of the whole.

Its prey is weak. Its prey is a _human_ who dwelled deep within this place. That human who played god, how pathetic. It would devour it.

Normally it was impossible for any physical being to even enter such a place, but it lost its physical form with its defeat.

The beast had no other goal. Its sight was on its prey. In its former life, it had patiently waited for more than a millennia to exact its revenge on the petty life forms. It could wait for a thousand more, if it meant the completion of its aims. It would wait an eternity for an opportunity if needed.

It had been impatient, that was why it had been defeated. It would wait. Human's grew old and died. The beast was immortal. It would wait for the _Hero_ to perish of old age. The _Hero's_ soul would surely enter the lifestream, then the part of it that was chained to the _Hero_ would be released.

The beast did not know what kind of Sorcery that _Hero_ had invoked upon it. For such a being as _it_ , to be defeated and sealed by a mere human? Preposterous! It was a Primordial! It was a God of Beginnings!

But even with all the knowledge of the world that the Root could provide, there was none that could provide an answer to its current obstacle. This was an impossibility. There was _nothing_ that the Root did not know. It knew everything! It was the Root of Origin, the beginning and the end.

Maybe... maybe... that _Hero's_ power was from an Origin, a Seed... True Heroes were an anomaly, they were beings born of an impossibility.

But it would not matter. In the end, all Heroes perished.

The beast learned its lesson. It learned the virtue of patience. There was a time for everything. That time was not yet...

It would need to grow stronger for that time. It would slowly weaken humanity, it's enemy, by strengthening its own children. Then, when the time was ripe...

There was nothing that could stand in its way.

* * *

-0-

 **A.N.**

Kinda cliché last line but… meh~. After my desperate and fierce struggle with my mighty adversaries, Sloth and Laziness, I have won! I was supposed to post this two days ago but... I got lazy.

I was somehow able to write something in between the shit that life throws at me... Lol.

Anyway... I'll be doing a few edits on Nasuverse lore and Mushoku Tensei character's power levels (and lore). I'll be increasing some of the Mushoku Tensei character's power levels. Cause seriously, when you hear someone being called a god, you expect more... So yeah, I'm making some characters more powerful. But Dragon God Orsted? Gahahaha! I don't think I need to make that guy any stronger. He is the epitome of OPness in Mushoku Tensei-verse. The Saitama or Goku of their world.

No epic awesome battles yet, just the slow paced character development and boring world building. Sorry for that.

I'll try to introduce the characters slowly as not to overwhelm the readers with the number of Mushoku Tensei characters. Cause there seriously are a lot. I won't be removing any characters... I don't want to have to take off the Metasis event plot anyway.

Now for the relevant reviews/questions that I don't want repeating answers to...

-Rudeus will be added to the story but… well, something will change. Just a slight tweak suggested by [Darkneostar1]

-There will be no powerful NP's, for now… at least. Who knows, maybe Shirou will meet an enemy that he can't defeat, like a certain invincible Dragon God? And… shit would happen?...

Oh and a few more notes…

Alicia was based on Katarina of League of Legends and Kushina Uzumaki of Naruto, cause I'd thought… Fireshadow? Anyone?

Chloe was me thinking about a little more mature Lucy from Elfen Lied.

Revan? Yes, he was based on that Revan from the Old Republic.

Celeste was based on Senjougahara of the Monogatari Series, I really did make a few mistakes on that one. I wanted her more aloof but I guess the character I 'wanted' to build didn't conform with my thoughts.

Did I forget anything else? I dunno… I probably won't be able to answer most of your questions, guys and gals, I'm not online as often as I was so… I won't be able to personally answer all reviews. The relevant ones will be answered on my A.N.s like this one.

Ah, leave a review, suggestions, thoughts or opinion? Meh… See you next chapter…


	4. Fourth Step

Disclaimer: I don't own F/SN or any related franchise and neither do I own Mushoku Tensei...

* * *

 **Chapter 3(Childhood): Promises and Denial**

Shirou rubbed his bruised cheeks. Roxy-sensei was ignoring her for some reason and refused to heal him when he told her the reason why a girl beat his face black and blue. Chloe was doing a very good imitation of a Chesire cat. His only ally was Revan who was patting him on the shoulders.

At least he found someone who understood him. Revan was often on the recieving end of Chloe's righteous feminine wrath. Oh the cracked ribs and fractured limbs... Sometime he did feel sorry for Revan. But Shirou knew that it was all they could do. It was best to let the woman hit you and be over with it than escape and let the woman stop and plan even worse punishments for you.

He could have easily stopped the beating of course. Or maybe even reduce the pain by reinforcing himself, which would instead hurt the girl. But his ingrained instincts prevented him from doing so. He was ashamed to admit he had been trained well by the various women in his former life to accept his punishments subserviently or suffer worse.

Yes. Righteous feminine wrath was one of Shirou Emiya's weaknesses.

Well... it was only as expected of course. It all started with Taiga, then there was Gilgamesh, then there was Saber... then there was Illya... then there was Rin and then...

The part of Shirou Emiya that was created to mimic human behavior sobbed. Really... all his life Shirou Emiya was surrounded by short and overpowered women that had anger that was short of miraculous to survive. He could proudly say he had once gained greater resiliency because of such punishments...

Which was sad if he really wanted to look at it.

His unnaturally fast healing took over healing most of the wounds.

Eris had finally stopped beating him when his almost fruitless efforts of convincing her to see logic had finally succeeded.

He calmly checked the room once more.

The Lord of Fedoa was paying him a visit. It would not do to be disrespectful to a noble even he would not mind outright insulting even the King.

He could hear the sound of heavy footsteps approaching. There were four people approaching, the other two were warriors. He could see Revan and Chloe straightening themselves from the edge of his vision.

The door slammed open.

A man in his mid-fifties entered followed by a crimson haired girl who was glaring holes at him. He smiled faintly at the girl. The glare intensified.

Sauros was not what Shirou was expecting from a noble. But neither was Philip, was Philip really a true son of Sauros? They most definitely did not look alike. For one, the old man did nothing of what nobles did. That was observing proper etiquette, the one that Celeste thought him.

The old man wore form-fitting clothes that emphasized a well-built body of man who lived on a battlefield rather than in the King's court. His dark brown hair was combed back.

"So you are the Fourth Prince? Shirou Braeares Asura, 'the Fallen Prince'." The old man looked at the person by his side. Celeste chose to remain silent. "What are you planning with my granddaughter?" The question was not directed towards him but towards Celeste.

The old man's voice was rough and loud. He could feel his eardrums ringing from forgetting to remove his reinforcement on them.

Straight to the point, loud and the strange proud stance of a warrior; Sauros Boreas Greyrat was not a noble. He was a Warlord, the Warlord of the West. Shirou couldn't help but like the man already.

He stood up and bowed. Not too low as too indicate subservience and meekness but not too lax as to show arrogance and disrespect.

"Greetings Lord Sauros," he looked towards the girl who was still trying to kill him with a glare. "And greetings to you to Lady Eris."

"Hmmph." The girl looked away from him.

Celeste remained quiet, ignoring the old man's questioning look.

"As for your question, we are not planning anything. I've merely done what I thought was best..." at that time.

The old man's attention was drawn towards him. He could feel the old man's hard gaze on himself. He easily brushed it off. He'd had worse... really. Rin's 'what have you done this time you idiot' stare was certainly at the top of that list.

"Ghyslaine, take Eris back to her room." The old man's tone left no room for argument.

Eris looked torn between complaining and asking her grandfather what was going on. But she complied peacefully.

That was enlightening, so even the little spitfire could not argue with her grandfather. The atmosphere in the room grew heavier as when they heard the door closing.

"So the rumors of your intellect were not just rumors. Tell me, boy, what do you want with my grandchild. And do not give me that half-assed answer again. I see no child before me, boy. I see a warrior, and because of that I will not hesitate to cut you down if I do not find you answer satisfying."

Shirou could feel both Revan's cold killing intent and Chloe's overflowing bloodlust. Any normal man would have suffocated under such pressure but Lord Sauros remained unperturbed.

He raised a hand to calm down his two excitable guardians.

"As I said before, I am not planning anything. I've..." Shirou hesitated for a moment. Did Lord Sauros know of his meeting with Philip? Probably, considering how the Lord of Fedoa knew of him. "Met with Lord Philip over some matters. One of those matters we discussed concerned his daughter's future, you grandchild's future. You may not believe me, but I do not want anything with you or your House, more so for your granddaughter."

He could see the look of disbelief on the old warrior's face. Shirou felt a little annoyed. Did humans really find it too hard to believe that not all actions had ulterior motives? He filed that away for later analysis.

"So you are telling me, boy that you planned to marry my granddaughter because of a whim?" If Sauros was angry earlier, now, he looked fuming and almost ready to explode. He was angry for a different reason.

Shirou sighed internally. He really wanted Celeste to intervene right about now. But he felt like Celeste was enjoying this a little too much. What did he ever do to her anyway? Well... nothing that he knew of.

Shirou scratched his cheek awkwardly. How should he tell this man that he just agreed to Philip's proposal because he knew that it would somehow provide Eris with some kind of protection against another man's whims?

Lord Sauros would undoubtedly react violently if he ever told him the real reason for arranging the marriage contract. He felt like Sauros would do something like swear violence against those sleazy pedophile nobles and prepare an army to root them from existence.

But... was he considered a pedophile for doing the same thing? He was arranging a marriage between himself and a child after all, though that was just in paper and it was just made to protect Eris. Well how about his former _lovers_ , were they pedophiles for sleeping with him...

No, probably not. He may as well sign his own death if he ever entertained such notions. Shirou Emiya cannot lie. So if one of his former _lovers_ ever miraculously made a way to find him, he would not be able to hide such thoughts for long. Which in short would spell his death. A slow and painful death that would last for as long as he was able to take.

The chances of such things were zero to nil, but with his luck? Everything was possible! Which was in itself, sad... Only a Hero would have such luck.

"Answer me, boy." The old man's was nearing the edge of his limit.

"Lord Sauros... did you know of the conditions of the marriage contract?"

"Conditions? I had never heard of such things?"

He turned to Celeste who thankfully had prepared a copy just as he had asked; a parchment was placed on the table. It was a copy of the marriage contract and the conditions therein.

"Well, Lord Sauros, the marriage contract included the conditions that should Lady Eris turn fifteen years of age..." Which in this world was the age where you were considered an adult." And by the time that she has reached that age, would she not want to continue to be engaged or want to marry, then the contract would be voided."

The old man reached for the piece of paper and read the parts that had been pointed out. The old man looked at the paper, then back at him, then back at the words that were written on the parchment as if they would somehow rewrite themselves to tell him something else.

"Guh, kuh... Kuhahahaha! Gahahahahahahahahaha!" The old man's uproarious laughter resounded in the room.

Shirou waited for the old man's laugher to subside.

"Just what are you boy? No matter how I look at you, I cannot help but think that I am under some spell that I cannot see what you truly are. You look like a child but you have the mind of an adult. I have met many kinds of people, child. You cannot lie to me. You feel like a warrior through and through. Tell me then, Prince Shirou, do you have the ambition to become King?"

So he was upgraded from being called a boy. That was promising.

"As I have told Lord Philip, no, I don't want to become King." The old man nodded in satisfaction at his answer.

"Yes, of course. You look to me like you are more fit in a battlefield than on a throne. Have you ever considered entering the ranks of the military?" What was with those questions? Didn't the old man's mood change too fast? Wasn't he supposed to be angry with him or something?

Shirou felt his skin crawl. There was a strange gleam in the old man's eyes. He felt like he was being sized up for a meal by a lion. A butcher sizing up an animal to be butchered.

"I have not yet considered such prospects but I've been considering entering a Magic University."

"Too bad, I would have personally overlooked your tortu- I mean, training if you ever wanted to enter the military."

He felt like he had just dodged a bullet. That took years of his life though.

"Ahem. But remember this boy... If you ever dare hurt my granddaughter... you better start counting your days-"

"Of course Lord Sauros." Shirou bowed respectfully one more time and walked towards the door. His sweaty palms reached for the door's handle. He felt his relief increasing with the door opening. But he was stopped in his tracks before he could get out of the room

"But aren't you forgetting something, boy?"

Shirou refused to turn around. His faced grimaced.

"What could have I forgotten Lord Sauros?"

"You forgot to answer my question. Why do you want to marry my granddaughter?"

Shirou felt like all his hopes were dashed to the ground. He felt sweat trickling down his neck. Were Heroes truly destined to have such insane amount of good and bad luck? Shirou was certain that a white haired bastard of a Counter Guardian was laughing his ass of in the Throne of Heroes.

Curse you EMIYA!? By the Root, I HATE YOU ALAYA!

Shirou was never more certain that even from beyond the reach of the Root, this was somehow Alaya's doing. This was for spurning her offers to become a Counter Guardian wasn't it? This was for rejecting her more times than he could ever count.

"Well Prince Shirou, you still haven't answered my question?"

Shirou hated his luck.

* * *

-0-

 _Weapons kept were weapons wasted._

That was an old saying that the Ninth Rose was said to be very fond of. The Ninth Rose was also known to have been the founder of the Order of the Eternum Shadow. It was a branch of the Crimson Rose that had trained and created assassins that were said to be able to bend the Shadow's to their will.

But it was no mere myth. The Shadow was not a singular being. Everyone has Shadows, but it is only those who embrace the darkness and accept the _truths that are_ able to enter the Order. But even that was not enough. The Shadow was an amalgamation of the Darkness and Light. They were neither evil nor good. They were the ones that kept the peace of the underworld of the kingdom.

Their rules were absolute.

Revan crept through the castle's halls in silence. The only sound he could hear were wails of despair echoing from a distance.

His eyes glowed crimson behind his mask.

He stopped in front of a closed door. He waited.

The Old Order of the Eternum Shadow, this was their former base of operation. The New Order had been established, but its only member was him. He was known as Revan, 'The Eternal Shadow Emperor Revan de Kris'. He was the second highest ranked member of the Crimson Rose in terms of combat capabilities. Or third if _she_ was considered the First.

The door opened before him.

He entered the chamber like room. At the edge of the room was a throne, and atop the throne was a woman. Her face was shrouded but Revan knew who she was. Or who _she_ used to be. He no longer knew who that person truly was.

He kneeled. He would follow this wraith's words for now...

"How is our **King** , Revan? Is he well? What news do you bring? I hope it is worth my time, you have not visited for four years. I presume you are having troubles as to choose to visit me now?"

"He is, my Queen. But a few complications have arisen. The King has already learned of the Prince's existence. He would want to meet the Prince. The other faction's will be cautious; they do not know what forces we have on our side. But the fools will act rashly. If they cannot defeat the Prince openly, they would use other means to get rid of him. What would you have me do?"

"Leave it be. Our **King** needs to grow. Those who call themselves his opponents are nothing but stepping stones to his ascension. He will need them. Do nothing but observe, intervene only when his life is at risk. Our **King** is destined for greater things. It would be as it was written by the First Rose; he is destined for greater things."

Revan kept his silence. His clenched his fists which trembled in fear and anger. His head remained low but his eyes roamed the room for a blade, a cursed blade.

He swallowed nervously.

"My Queen, you say that these are the Founder's words... that the Prince is the one from the prophecy. How can you be so sure?" He could see the sharp edge of a blade reflecting the dim light from the magic crystals. It's hilt was in the woman's hands.

So that was where she had hidden it. The Founder's blade...

He would be able to do nothing yet. If only he could tell Celeste of this... if only...

His resolve hardened. This changed nothing. He would still serve the Prince. He had no time to be wallowing in his own weakness. He would find a way to break the curse placed on him. Then he would tell the others about everything.

He felt a surge of pain in his head, his heart felt like it was being crushed.

"Plotting in your Queen's presence? Have you no fear, Revan?" The woman slowly sauntered down from the throne, blade in her hand. "Or have you no shame for that matter?"

He could not lie. That was the nature of the curse that the wraith in front of him had placed. He refused to yield. He would bend for now, but he would not break. The pain lessened a little.

"You forget that the geass will not allow you to rebel, Revan. But you are too useful to rid of, so..." A pale hand reached towards his mask. He screamed in agony as the pain surged. His vision saw white as he felt his body being pierced and burnt. He felt his body being crushed and torn apart. Then he saw nothing more.

He did not know how long he had been screaming or when he had fainted from the pain. Revan woke up in the middle of a dark hallway. His head still throbbed, perspiration drenched his clothes. He swallowed feeling the hoarse groan scape his lips.

He leaned towards the grimy walls as his breathing evened out. Slowly, he forced himself to stand.

His body felt weak but he refused to give up. He would not give up.

This greatly reminded him of his childhood. Growing up and living in the slums of the Capital was not healthiest experience he ever had. But it had taught him things. One of those things he learned was that the weak were _eaten_ by the strong. He refused to be weak.

That was how he became this strong. With strength came power and riches, but even all the wealth of the world could not make a man such as him happy. He had never found happiness because he had always been alone. That was how it should have always been.

Until the day he met _her_ , the only person who he would be able to acknowledge. She was strong, but cold and unfeeling. He even wondered if she was human at times with how perfect she was. The memory of a beautiful red haired woman surfaced in his mind, and in that memory she was smiling. He refused to give up because of that memory.

That was the only time he had ever seen such a pure and innocent smile. He knew that it had been at that moment that she had captured his heart. He would forever treasure it.

The last time he had seen that woman was when he arrived nearly too late at that burning battlefield. The wounds that she suffered were more than enough to kill any normal person. But she lived, she still breathed when he had embraced her in his arms.

In that moment, she cried and showed weakness. That image of perfection was forever marred, but that little imperfection made her shine more dazzling than ever.

She had begged him to look after her son. He promised.

Revan stopped in his steps. He looked up at the chamber he was in and towards the exit. In these halls, the statues of the leaders of the Crimson Rose were enshrined. His gaze travelled to the statue of that of the woman who had taken his heart.

"I will save you Alicia... this I swear. I will save you..."

He turned towards the exit and started to walk. But something complied him to stop. He looked towards another direction. There in the middle of the hall was the statue of the Founder. She was a beautiful woman, if the golden statue was any more accurate. But what always unnerved Revan were the statue's ruby crimson eyes. Those inanimate eyes that felt like they were looking right back at him.

He increased his gait even with is aching body. He would find a cure to his curse. Then he would save her from whatever curse afflicted _her_. He refused to give up. He exited right outside the castle walls.

The sky above him was darkening. He could see graying clouds rolling in from the sea. A storm was coming. He made haste towards the stables. There was a heavy feeling in the pits of his stomach.

If he had stayed any longer, he would have seen the shadows converging to form the figure of a person. It looked like a human. But it was not. This being bowed respectfully towards the Founder's statue and followed after the man who had just left.

* * *

-0-

"Eight hundred forty nine. Eight hundred fifty..."

His lungs burned. He needed to rest. He wanted to rest. But he refused to yield.

His arms felt like lead as he lifted the sword one more time and brought it down in a swing. Shirou ignored the slight burning in his eyes as sweat flowed down his forehead to his eyes.

The physical world was lost to him as his mind wandered. He was in a world of blades. Every part of it was a representation of him, every blade had a story and every sword had a history.

It was a dreary place to be, his world. Blood soaked the ground and the sun forever stood at midday. There was no life here, no grass nor insects. At the center of his world was a hill, and on top of that hill was a blade.

That blade had no form but most of the time it appeared like a sword. It was his center. That formless blade represented his goal to forge the perfect blade. But he knew it would never be completed. He was never even sure what form it was taking even now as the sun's glare prevented him from looking at it.

He walked among the countless blades. He never strayed to near one nor touched one. Why?

He knew why, but he refused to accept that answer. He was afraid. The only time he had ever allowed himself to use his blades was the time when he was still new to this world. Aside from that time, he had never once touched a blade. Not once.

He was trying to run away again, wasn't he?

"Nine...hundred... eight..." The sword slipped from his hands. He followed right after it, collapsing to the grass below him. He took massive gulps of air he tried to refill his lungs.

Even if his mind could tolerate the pain, his body could not withstand it.

He'd been too complacent. He had seen how powerful Chloe truly was. If she was considered as one of the strongest in this world, then he was not dissatisfied. Such warriors of great caliber were impossible to find in his former world. His blood sang for battle but why did he hesitate?

He wanted to fight such beings. To battle such monsters, he needed to become stronger. Chloe _could_ crush a mountain with full power of her axe. That was how powerful an Emperor was. She made Berserker look tame in terms of pure strength. Maybe and Emperor's power could be in the same league as Servants...

For Gods... well, he just hoped they were in the tier of higher servants. Because he did not want to imagine if the so called Gods of this world were as powerful as Zelrecth... then may the Root have mercy.

His Holy Grail War's Berserker of course, he seen other Grails wars. But the Berserker that participated in his Grail War was a monster like no other. _It_ was a being who was able to instinctively learn of a blades strength and weakness with mere sight. That monster was also able to wield countless Noble Phantasms.

What more was the fact that that _thing_ was able to wield those Noble Phantasms with the same skills as its previous wielders... worse was that those skills were perfected upon, improved and refined so as to remove the former weakness of those legendary weapons.

That mindless beast had been... or rather was to be called a Hero?

He shivered in thought. He refused to acknowledge it. Even to this day, he refused to think of that mindless monster as what he could have become. Or was he still fated to become like that _thing_?

Berserker was someone that they had barely been able to hold back even with four Servants and a master's help. They would have all died that day to Berserker's blades had _she_ not interfered. _She_ had then gleefully pointed out his potential. He could become as strong as that mindless _thing._

He had achieved that potential at the peak of his power. And he had used that power to defeat a Primordial God; he had killed that Titan who wanted to return everything to what it once was. He succeeded in defeating it.

But it was impossible to kill a Primordial.

He noticed someone walking towards him but he did not look, his mind too lost in thoughts.

"Are you alright?" Ghyslaine pick up the sword he had been swinging earlier. She swung it a few times, testing the blade. "This is a good sword, not too heavy but not too light either. Not really my type of blade but it's good for a standard classic double edged blade."

Shirou opened his eyes to the sight of a pair of cat ears. His gaze fell downwards to the two bouncing mounds of flesh on her chest. Really woman, why do you wear such fetishistic clothes that borders on the obscene!

The clothes barely covered anything...

"What are you doing here Ghyslaine... shouldn't you be off doing something. Maybe like keeping that rabid little spitfire from ambushing me again?" He could hear Ghyslaine chuckling.

"Hey! I'm here you know! And I know you know I'm here!" There was a protest from a little ways behind.

"So you are learning how to fight? So that you can fend off that rabid little spitfire?"

"Please stop talking like I can't hear you two!"

Shirou sat up; his breathing had evened a little.

"I already know how to fight. I'm just training myself to increase my physical capabilities to enable me to use the blade styles."

"Oh? So you already know how to fight? Then how about a spar with my student? How about it Eris?"

Shirou looked to the girl beside Ghyslaine who was frowning slightly.

He did notice the slight calluses on her hands, something that could only be taken from sword training.

"I'd rather not hit women..." He'd rather not. Because even if he won, he did not doubt that once the match stopped, there was nothing that would stop Eris from going after him if he beat her up too much.

Besides, hadn't he suffered enough being beaten by overpowered short-tempered _short_ women?

"Maybe you're just scared to lose!"

He felt himself getting annoyed. He had been warrior in his past life, and like all warriors, he had his own pride. Shirou may have found pride to be a useless trait, but he did not deny that he had pride but in only two things. One of those things he was very proud of was his abilities as a fighter.

"Okay... maybe a little spar?"

Ghyslaine smirked.

Eris was grinning like she'd been given a chance to get her favorite toy for free.

Ghyslaine took the sword he had been training with earlier and handed him the wooded sword in her hand.

"Rules are first to surrender. No limitations, but no hits to the head. Anywhere else is good. Begin."

Eris took a stance with both hands on the wooden swords hilt. She was at least already an Intermediate Sword God style practitioner. But she was nearly at the Advanced level if only she had a little more experience. Pretty impressive for such a young girl. Reaching Intermediate level of mastery in any bladestyle was enough for one to enlist as a soldier. Eris was able to achieve what most grown men were already able to achieve.

But she was just that, an inexperienced Intermediate Sword God level user.

"I don't really want to beat you up to bad so I'll have a little handicap, I'll only use one hand. If I'm forced to use both, then I lose."

"I won't be doing that if I were you Shirou, Eris is quite good with a blade you know."

He could see Eris' face contorting into anger, then her grin widened.

"It' no problem Ghyslaine."

Shirou sidestepped the overhead swing. He casually swung the sword at the wide opening that she had just presented. Eris winced as the sword landed. She tried to counter but he could already see the path that the sword would take before it was even swung.

"Stop moving around!"

He hit her on the hand

"Stay still!"

He evaded another swing and hit her left foot.

"First lesson from me, talking during battle wastes breath thereby reducing stamina. Unless you are a practitioner of a breathing technique, don't talk during battle."

"Gaaaaah! You're annoying!"

He weaved through her continuous strikes, seemingly dodging by a hair.

"Lesson two; don't let your emotions hinder your blade. Emotions are a double edged sword. You can allow it to fully control, letting go of everything for the sake of doing battle. Or you can choose to not allow anything you feel to stop you from what you must do..."

He was being a hypocrite but he chose to ignore it. He lost all emotions when he truly held a sword. Because when he chose to wield a weapon, he chose to threw everything away.

Eris stopped attacking. Her breathing was heavy, her sweat was stating to glisten. She glared at him.

"Choose."

He could see her hesitate.

"Third lesson, there is no hesitation in battle. Your enemies will show you none. Kill or be killed."

Eris lunged attempting to pierce him through. It was useless. He calmly took an Iado stance, legs bent apart. His sword dangled by his left. He could see the wooden sword coming at him from a mile away. With a slow motion, he drew the blade and cut.

In that single moment, Shirou chose to 'wield' the wooden practice sword.

It was over before a quarter of a breath had passed.

Shirou looked at his hands, he was trembling. He smiled bitterly. Memories of the past surfaced.

In order to reach the top, others will have to fall. That was the singular truth that was known to him. Because if you were not born at the top, you would not know the suffering of those who threw everything away to become stronger.

Once you reached the summit, only then would you realize that you were alone. You would look behind you and you would realize that you had left a pile of corpses in your mad struggle to obtain power. The fresh blood dripping from your weapon would be a reminder of those who had fallen for you to rise where you are now. But you are too dazzled by the summit to acknowledge it. Time would pass, others would reach the top. They would try to take your place but they cannot because they would all be cut down by you.

Then one day, someone comes after you. He was a brother of the person you had slain to become more powerful. Then another would come, he was a friend. Before you know it, the summit no longer looks as beautiful as it once was. A pile of corpses lay below you. When you look down, you would see those driven mad by sadness and grief attempting to climb the steep slope towards you. They swear vengeance, they swear to the gods, to demons, and to all manners of beings.

The blue sky that once look so invitingly beautiful would become stained with the blood of those you have slain.

In the end, you yourself would be driven mad by the endless hatred directed towards you.

"Shirou... are you alright?" He looked at Ghyslaine oddly.

"Huh? Why should I not be?"

Eris was standing before him; the only thing that remained in her hands was a piece of broken wood. She looked at him dazed and confused. Pieces of wood were scattered all around.

"But... you're crying? Were you hurt?" He let go of the wooden sword. His hands trailed down his cheeks. He could feel the moisture trailing down from his eyes.

He stumbled back away from Ghyslaine when she tried to approach him. He looked at her eyes. There, in those eyes were concern and worry. He did not deserve such things...

No. Please no. Don't look at me with such eyes!

He turned around ran like the coward he was.

He ran away just like this when Illya died. He ran away from his problems in hopes that they would not follow him. But that was impossible. He rushed into battle hoping that he would forget.

He reinforced his tired limbs to their limit. He did not care if they saw him. He did not care what they would think.

"Shirou! Wait!"

He needed to get away. He needed to think. His hands were twitching, trying to grasp something that was not there. Everything turned into a blur. He reinforced his eyes and his brain to cope with the speed.

Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as his mind caught up with his surroundings.

He could see the dust flying with every burst of prana that he released from his legs. He see the dark clouds gathering from the west. He could easily see everything.

But those were needless details. Like an animal that feared fire, he fled. He needed release from such thoughts. He needed to forget everything, the blood, the sacrifice and all that he had lost. Those that he had left, those that he had turned his back on and those that he could not save...

Nothing made sense anymore. The world was shutting down.

He smelled the scent of goblins, rotting meat and unwashed bodies. He turned towards that direction. He was in luck.

He _needed_ battle to forget. He needed to feel the rush of adrenaline and the lingering touch of death as he danced with it. He needed the intoxication brought by the endless shower of blood and gore.

* * *

-0-

A horseman was riding over from the horizon. Scouts.

A hundred riders were spread out over the entire perimeter of the village of Alna. Every once in a while, a rider would return back to the village and head back out again.

Celeste anxiously watched the movements of the riders. Her hands were marking the areas on the map that had been covered. It had been three days since Master Shirou had disappeared. She had made a mistake at that time.

If only she had stopped him... If only had been faster... If only...

But how could she have known that that person really was her master? She felt it. It was just a brief moment but Master Shirou's entire aura changed. Celeste had inherited the ability to easily understand people by observing their aura. It was not so much as something she could see but rather something she could feel.

Master Shirou always felt like a warm mellow fire, peaceful green hills and a gentle stream. But at that time, his entire aura changed. It turned into something so different and violent that she had been stunned. It was as if her master had changed into an entirely different person.

Her master had felt like an endless torrent of blades trying to cut down all that stood in its way.

She had seen how her master wielded that wooden sword.

She had been observing him from afar. At that time, she felt happy that her master was finally trying to put effort into practicing with a sword. She had seen and heard how he had been goaded into a spar. She did not blame Ghyslaine nor the little girl who her master had fought against. How could anyone know what would have happened?

Her master had effortlessly defeated the girl. Ghyslaine had even boasted that the girl was already at the level of an Intermediate Sword God practitioner, which was the truth. But her master had defeated her with seemingly no effort. That was at the level of absurd. Her master was truly a prodigy. She knew that that had been the only time her master even held a sword, not including the time she had forced him to.

What she saw was so impossible that even now she would have refused to believe it had she not seen it for herself.

The blade that moved at a delicately slow speed... that was an illusion. It would only be seen as something like that by an untrained eye. But what she was different. The wooden sword in her master's hands had cut his opponents weapons in what seemed like random points at insane speeds. The slow motion that was normally seen was actually after images of the hands after he drew the blade and slashed countless times at speeds that normal humans would not be able to comprehend.

' _But I really do know everything about swords..._ '

Was that a boast? Or the truth?

This was frustrating. This was infuriating. If they ever found her master, she would ask him for the truth. He would not lie. Celeste did not want to force her master to do something against his will, but this was for his own good.

Celeste looked up to see a masked man looming over her.

"Revan... where were you?"

"Don't give me that Celeste. Where is the young master?"

She gritted her teeth in annoyance.

"I don't know alright! If only you were here this would not have happened!"

"If I was not here? You were here Celeste! I trusted you to have looked after him. And you might be thinking to highly of yourself Celeste... I do not serve you. I serve the Fourth Prince of Asura, the heir to Crimson Rose and not you." She could hear the cold edge in Revan's voice. But she refused to back down. She was worried. She had made a mistake and it was either she acknowledge it as her own... or blame it on others. The latter was the easier path.

She could not willingly take the blame with her emotions in turmoil and her mind in disorder. Both of them were too proud to admit that they were the one who made the mistake.

"Then allow me rectify that Revan. I am the current leader of the Crimson Rose and you will obey as you will obey the Prince's words." They drew their blades ready to show who was superior.

"Both of you will stop this instant; do not force my hand Revan, Celeste." They turned towards the source of the voice but withdrew when they saw who it was.

Chloe entered the room followed by one of the scouts.

"We will have this discussion when the Prince is found Revan." She turned a withering glare at him.

"I'd say the same to you Celeste; you should know that there are greater priorities than your hurt pride." Revan spat out.

"Revan. Shut your mouth, or I will be the one to show you both just why I am an Emperor. I was chosen to protect the young master. I know that I have made a mistake, I will accept that. But I swear this on my title as the 'Berserker Shadow Empress', if you will not straighten your acts, I will take it upon myself to personally discipline both of you."

Their mouths shut with an audible click. Chloe was just plain scary when she was serious.

This matter was something she considered as such. Celeste knew that out of all of them, Chloe was the person closest to the young Prince. It was no surprise that she would be worried. Chloe had once been called the Bloody Princess, the only person who's orders she ever followed were Alicia's. Anyone who remembered her back in the old days would tremble in fear if they ever knew she was angry.

No one ever dared to provoke the Bloody Princess's fury. That would be like poking a sleeping manticore with a stick.

Only a fool would not take her words seriously... or if you had Braeares in your name...

Chloe nodded towards the shivering scout.

"Ah- I, Captain Celeste, a goblin camp has been sighted southeast of the village two days travel by horse. One of our scouts had sent a messenger bird reporting a disturbance in that area. When they investigated, they found another massacre similar to the first goblin camp down south that we investigated yesterday."

"And you think it's the same? How?" Celeste leveled a glance at the poor scout who was nearly trembling.

"T-the swords Captain, they found a large number of the same sword that was used to kill the goblins scattered all over the camp."

Celeste nodded at the confirmation.

"You've been out since two days ago yes?" The scout nodded mutely. "Go take a rest for now. You will resume your duties when you consider yourself ready. Have they brought one of the swords from that they found?"

"Well, we took some to the Saint Ranked Water Magician. We haven't heard words from her yet. The swords are of excellent make so they had assigned some of the new recruits to gather them."

"You can go now..." She nodded to the man who hastily retreated.

Being under the presence of angry overpowered monsters in human skins was not an experience anyone would enjoy.

Celeste looked at Revan who was walking towards his horse.

"Send word if you find anything."

Revan stopped in his tracks, his head turning sideways.

"I will, but do not forget what you promised. We _will_ talk after all this is over." The man left before she could reply.

That arrogant dastardly cur... at least he was competent.

"Chloe?"

"I will be following after Revan. I don't know if my suspicions are right, but I would rather ensure that it is a mistake than endanger our little master's life. A Goblin Lord is out there Celeste, this much I am sure of." Chloe disappeared after Revan.

With Chloe on the move, she couldn't help but feel relief. She would not have to worry about a goblin invasion while dealing with her missing master.

She started walking back towards their house. In front of the gates, she found Ghyslaine and the little girl who Shirou had beaten. A twinge of anger was rooted in her heart.

"What is it Ghyslaine? I am in a hurry; if you need something tell me."

"Look Celeste, I'm sorry-"

She snapped. Her hand whipped out and slapped the feline woman faster than she could think. It was irrational. But how could she blame herself. She wanted to blame someone for her incompetence. Anyone.

"I told you not to apologize about it Ghyslaine. If you have nothing else to say leave now. I have somewhere I need to be." Mainly, searching for her master.

She could see Ghyslaine biting her lower lip. The red hand print was on the woman's cheeks glowed.

"Let me go with you. This was partly my fault. If only-"

"Stop it Ghyslaine. You look pathetic. No one could have known that was going to happen." Even I... could not have known.

"Then allow me to go with you. I heard from the scouts that they found clues of his whereabouts. If we can get close enough, I might be able to track him by scent."

Celeste stared at her hard. She considered the proposal. It would help greatly, she would accept it. She would put aside her irrational anger for now. She looked to the girl who was beside Ghyslaine.

"What about you girl? What do you want?"

The girl flinched... she lowered her head. Maybe in fear? Or shame? Or even guilt?

"I, I want to help too." The girl swallowed with an audible gulp.

"Lady Eris, it's too dangerous for you to be out there. We are still not sure if there really is a Goblin Lord that's rallying the monsters in this area."

"It was my fault too... if only I wasn't so angry with him..."The girl blushed and looked away."B-but, it's not like I'm worried about him or something!"

Really now...

"You can go with us. But I will not be responsible for anything that happens to you." The girl looked up at Ghyslaine with pleading eyes.

This was not her business. Celeste opened the door as Ghyslaine pulled the girl aside.

"Then prepare for our journey, I will be heading out shortly. Meet me at the stables."

The house was dimly lit even with the curtains open, with the skies covered by dark clouds... She could hear the slow drops of rain from outside.

She would have to make haste. The winter seasons were getting colder these last few years. Hopefully there won't be hail or ice with this kind of erratic weather.

She opened the door to Roxy's room. The little magician was poring over books, the sword which was brought home by the scouts were placed in a corner of the room. But one of the swords was in her lap.

The blue haired girl looked at her.

Celeste could see the dark circles under her eyes. Like her, Roxy probably had not slept for days...

The ruffled and unkempt clothes, the musty smell of old books and paper, the room had not been cleaned in days.

"What did you find?"

Roxy closed the book she was looking over. Her normally sleepy eyes looked like they were about to close, she even looked like she was about to fall over.

"This... sword, whatever it was that happened to Shirou... I think it was some kind of rare type of magic. I can't be sure. This sword... it is real. And you say that he was able to use this kind of magic before? I don't know what you're not telling me. Obviously you haven't been very honest with me from the very beginning.

Whatever it is that Shirou know... it is something dangerous. He knows magic that defies the established 'laws'. His approach on magic is unique and his knowledge on it could possibly eclipse mine. It could possibly be [Inherited Knowledge], but I've never heard of human cases of such…

Celeste, have you ever heard of the phrase, 'To be a magus is to walk with death'?"

She remembered a certain phrase that was whispered by a certain Order.

" _To subdue the Shadows is to court death willingly..._ "

Practitioners of the Shadow Arts were considerably few. Not all the members of the Crimson Rose were true practitioners of the art. The only person who remained faithful thus far to it was Revan. Chloe could only be considered a King Ranked at most in the Shadow God's style. Her true strength lay with her unique weapon.

"So what does this mean? He never wanted to hold a sword because something like this would happen?"

"I don't know Celeste. I've never asked him. If I had known, I would have. He would not have lied. Maybe he has the blood of the Demon race running in his veins. That's the only answer I can come up with. But I don't know of any Magical Races that consider blades as a taboo, neither do I know of any race that are driven mad by weapons..." She could see Roxy hesitate.

"A race that are driven mad by weapons?" She voiced the last line. She had heard rumors of such a thing. But they were so absurd that no one believed it. Was Alicia a half-blooded Demon? Celeste considered the possibility... It couldn't be...

Alicia said he was more than forty years old but his physical appearance remained the same as if she was at the peak of her youth. It was possible. But the only race that she had heard driven mad by weapons were the Supards. The Supards were known to be a race of bloodthirsty demons. Many of the Magical Races were discriminated because of the Supard's attritions during the Demon-Human Wars.

So it was possible that Alicia could have been of a half-blooded Supard...

This... this still changed nothing. Besides, as long as no one suspected it, they could never possibly know. Shirou was still the Fourth Prince, her Lord and Master.

"If that was what happened... do you think we can bring Shirou back?"

"It's possible." Roxy looked up at her; she paused for a moment as if considering something. "I know of someone who has broken from the madness caused by a weapon's curse."

Celeste turned his gaze outside where the rain was lightly falling over the village. The rain felt... off. It felt unnatural. It did not rain during the winter months here in Alna. She remembered Chloe's words.

' _There might be more than a Goblin Lord leading these monsters. I suspect an Irregular... But hopefully it is not yet a Goblin King._ '

The gentle pitter-patter of the rain against the tile roofs reminded Celeste of an event that happened more than seven years ago. It reminded her of a time when the young master was but a newborn babe. The painful pang of lose and sadness...

"Then I will be off Roxy. Get some rest. Some scouts have returned recently and have reported a possible location where Shirou might have gone."

"No... Please let me go, I... I somehow feel responsible for this. Shirou is a good child. He may be a bit unusual at times, he does scare me too sometimes... but he is a good kid. And more so he is my student."

Celeste felt a stab of guilt. Roxy was not in any way responsible for Shirou's safety. But she, the one who was responsible for most of this refused to accept her mistake.

"Are you sure about this? You look like you need rest..."

"No. I'll go."

Roxy grabbed her staff that leaned by the door, donned her hat and stared at her.

"Let's go Celeste, let's go find that wayward student of mine."

"Let's go..." A small smile bloomed on her face. Her master was kind and good master... though he might have a demon's blood running in his veins, that never did change anything...

* * *

-0-

A few hours of ride away from the camp, they saw something. It was... a beam of light that pierced through the clouds. Whatever it was, that was no goblin magic. They made haste. Worry and fear urged them onwards.

Two days of hard riding and cold rain pouring over them, the small posse arrive at the edge of the goblin camp. The cold weather and wet ground had forced them to slow down more times than they would want. But at last they were here.

Goblins did not build. They only knew how to destroy. So most of the time, they built their camps over caves, underground tunnels, or on abandoned forts and villages.

This particular camp was once a growing frontier village until it was over-run by monsters.

They arrived at a gruesome scene. Rotting and barely recognizable monster corpses were scattered over the entirety of the area. The smell of decay and blood was nauseous. But most of the members of the group were hardened warriors. This was just the site of another battle to them.

Carrion beasts and birds shied away from the group, the more dangerous of these beasts eyed them but dared not approach.

With the sheer number of corpses, anyone could easily imagine how brutal the battle had been. This was likely the reason the scouts refused to approach the camp. They had sighted this village but refused to approach it.

Celeste and Revan dismounted from their horses. They were followed by the other members of the group, all of them trailing after the other. As they drew nearer to the heart of the town, the number of hapzardly hacked flesh and blood increased.

Numerous swords littered the area. It was all the same sword. There was no doubt in their minds that this was the work of a single person. The destruction wrought here might have been easily the work of a King ranked swordsman.

The only sounds that could be heard was the cawing of the numerous carrion birds that roamed overhead.

They heard someone gasp. They looked towards Eris who was gaping at something.

Their sights turned towards what she was looking at. It stunned them all.

No one was able to move. At the center of the abandoned town was a towering heap of corpses. On top of the small mountain of carcasses was a sight that would forever be seared into the depths of their minds.

But what they all saw differed.

It was a scene that captivated them all with its dark picturesque vividness, a dreadful image that looked completely out of a painting. Ravens and vultures hovered overhead in circles as a beam of light shined down upon the only living creature that they could find.

How could such a gruesome massacre appear so enchantingly beautiful?

* * *

-0-

Celeste saw a child who was kneeling, staring blankly at the skies as if awaiting for a miracle. His hands remained on the hilt of his sword. No words escaped the boy's lips but Celeste could imagine the boy praying.

What was he praying for? For forgiveness? For redemption? For salvation? She saw a boy who looked like he was about to fade away. Her hand reached out to grasp nothing. The boy felt like he was going away. Like everyone who she had ever loved, the boy felt like he was going away to somewhere that was beyond her reach.

She tried to follow after that fading figure but instead, her legs gave up on her. She could do nothing but reach out hoping that by some miracle she would reach that boy.

* * *

-0-

Revan saw the sight of a King. An unequalled existence that made him feel weak and lacking. He remembered the wraith's words. Was this the truth? Was Alicia's child truly destined to rule as the wraith had promised? He did not know. But at that moment, he felt like he was in the presence of a deity, a God of War.

Was this the power that he pursued? He had two choices, to follow the wraith's words and guide this boy unto the path of a ruler, a tyrant; or he could choose to allow the boy to remain ignorant, powerless but safe and protected just as he had promised to _her_. It was a heavy choice...

For love and duty or for power and his ideals…

* * *

-0-

Roxy did not know what to think. Her troublesome student had done it again. He had done something so completely impossible that she refused to believe he was the one who did this. Why did she refuse to believe such a thing when she knew it could be possible? Was Shirou really a descendant of the Supards? She had heard the rumors of the Supard's innocence. That it was their weapons that had driven them mad.

But this... she gave up thinking. This was just all too irrational. Just what was Shirou? She needed answers, she wanted answers. Her logical mind refused to give up. There had to be an answer. Why? What? Who? How?

One way or another, she would have her answers.

* * *

-0-

Eris remained silent. She was too stunned to move. Was this really the same innocent boy who had approached back at the village just to help her? She could not imagine it. A scene such as this would normally evoke fear on a normal girl like her. She should be thinking along the lines of 'is this person even human?' Because what else could achieve such a gruesome deed but a monster?

But she did not feel disgust and fear. Instead, the sight of a boy who was kneeling alone on that hill made her feel pity. The boy looked so lonely up there... alone.

She would never honestly admit it, but she considered the boy as a friend. Her first friend. He was not arrogant like the other noble kids; he did not mind teasing her either. Even now, he looked like someone who could do everything. But what use was that entire if he did not have anyone to share it with.

She decided. She would be his friend.

B-but it was not because he liked him a little or anything! Definitely not!

* * *

-0-

Chloe felt herself drawn to the sight. A small voice at the back of her mind convinced her that somehow... this boy was a kindred soul. Only she was the one who was able to move. She slowly made her way up to the boy. She could see swords forming in the air above the boy. The blades shot towards her. She unwrapped a bandage on her right hand. Blood poured out from the wound and reformed into an axe, her Jormungand.

With practiced ease, she deflected and blocked most of the blades.

"Shirou!"

The barrage stopped but the boy did not look in her direction. One by one, the blades fell to the earth and dissipated into light.

Upon reaching the top, she embraced the boy from behind. Shirou did not react to her touch as if he was in a daze.

"It's alright my little Master. Everything's going to be alright..."

Her words felt hollow even to her ears. But she could not say anything otherwise. Nothing mattered to her anymore but protecting this boy. She did not want this boy to become like her. She did not want this boy to become the monster she had been. Tears freely flowed from her eyes.

If her master could not cry for himself, then she would. If her master could not take care of himself, then she would. She swore. She would protect this boy. Why should such a kind and innocent child be tainted by the disgusting corruption of this world. She would not allow that.

Right now, it felt to her like the boy carried a burden far too heavy for him... If that was the case, she'd carry half of it for him. It was the duty of a big sister to take care of their younger siblings, that much she could remember of before the time she lost her sanity...

* * *

-0-

 **A.N.**

Damn short, I know... I cut it short. There was supposed to be a Shirou POV between the last and the second to the last but I caught a fever and now I was too lazy to continue... Damn.

So... more questions... instead of answers, you found more questions... But hope this chapter did answer a few why's and what's.

Like all other F/SN fanfics that dealt with and changed Shirou's origins and beginning, I wanted to turn this something a little bit different from the usual Shirou who wants to save because that's his distortion. So I came up with something a little simple. (To be honest, I was to lazy to come up with a complicated one.) This Shirou is distorted to always want to reach the top, he only wants to save others in order to repay those that he had stepped on to reach his goal. Well something like this... anyway, I'm too lazy to write about this on the A.N.s so you'll just have to see it in the story.

The last chapter didn't have as much details as I could have wanted to put(because of the damn fever took me down) but oh well...

Leave a review or something... Much appreciated...


	5. Fifth Step

Could have uploaded earlier if FF would stop having errors.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own anything F/SN or Mushoku Tensei bla bla bla...

* * *

 **Chapter 4(Childhood): Acceptance**

For others to live, others must die. For a few to attain happiness, many would suffer. Was such a thing really true? An example of this would the matter of inheritance in a family. Another example would be the choice that maiden would have between her two lovers. There are a plethora of examples and cases that would indicate such facts.

He was not the only one who had arrived at such a conclusion. It was a truth that many of his alternate selves had arrived at. As a favor from the Kaleidoscope, Shirou Emiya once asked this question, "Is there really no other way for everyone to be happy?"

The Sorcerer of the True Second Magic sometimes indulged him in such things.

Zelretch merely clicked his tongue and replied, "I've given you a chance to acquire knowledge that is far beyond your reach, but this? Your idiocy truly knows no limits boy. Answer me this question, for you to be on top, shouldn't there be others who exist who are bound to be below you?"

Shirou remained unperturbed.

The old vampire continued with his rant.

"Among all the Shirou Emiya that have ever existed across the multiple realities, you should consider yourself a rarity boy. Hmmm, maybe 'nearly' unique would be fitting word? You are only one out of trillions of version of yourself that has achieved the true status of a swordsman and blade master. Wouldn't you consider that as exceptionally uncommon?"

"Doesn't that just make me different?"

"I just now realize why Rin must need to pound everything into your head boy. Are swords the only thing that's in your head? Let me rephrase that for you. It means that there is only one out of several trillion chance of the world ever producing a someone as different as you. You were never meant to be wielder of blades, but merely a creator of blades. Maybe that's what makes you so interesting."

What followed were events that he would rather not remember. Zelretch got nasty when annoyed, and when he got annoyed he had the itch to prank someone.

But rather than that, his current dilemma was more pressing. Very pressing indeed, what with two very large and soft flesh mounds that his head was currently buried into.

"HMMMPPP! MMMMHHHHPP!"

The pressing issue got worse as he struggled. He reinforced his limbs to detach himself from this looming threat of death by suffocation in the great mountains of heaven but his efforts were in vain. As his struggles got weaker, as if finally granting him mercy, the mighty pressing issue released him from its merciless claws... Or was it mounds?

"You're awake Master Shirou!" A very emotional Chloe was clinging to him while wiping snot and tears on his clothes.

"Chloe, that's disgusting! And a very much inappropriate for someone of your status!" Not that Chloe ever thought of how others looked at her... But she could already see Celeste fuming as she harshly scolded the very much grown _young_ woman.

Shirou looked to his right to see a still asleep Roxy by his bedside with a book acting as a pillow. But even she was awoken with all the ruckus in the room. She extended her hand upwards to stretch her back and suppressed a yawn with her hand. Her half-lidded eyes opened to look at Shirou's own.

He did not know what came over him but an urge took over him. It was a similar urge to how he would suddenly dodge on the battlefield without knowing a blade was coming for him. His hands reached up placed themselves atop Roxy's head. With a slow petting motion, he caressed her head like he would a child. As if waking from a trance, the blue haired magician blushed realizing she was being petted and lowered her head instead of removing his hand.

It felt very much reminiscent of stray cat who had finally allowed him to pet it just for the moment knowing it had nothing it could do about the situation. Oh, oh, she was even purring!

This would have been a very unusual morning to wake up, but a very much comfortable one if only he did not see Revan shifting uncomfortably on his feet while wearing a maid costume. Of course he knew who that maid costume was from.

It did not fit Revan in any way. Chloe was about average height for a female and Revan was far from the average height of a male. The maid dress barely reached his knees. But he was lucky enough to keep his dignity with his armor and mask intact, only his robe was missing.

"Chloe, why is Revan wearing your clothes?" Shirou asked, he did not want to know but he just had to! Ah, what terribly paradoxical creature's humans are... It was like looking at a train wreck.

"Oh, that? It's my punishment to him! I know why you... uhm, uh Shirou? Do you remember anything of what happened?"

"What happened?" All he could remember was trying to practice with a sword the everything after that was a blank... Or was it? He nervously gripped his hands into fists. He looked around the room. There was no damage here...

"You... don't remember?" Celeste approached the bed but even she was hesitant to ask.

Shirou looked around. Everything seemed alright. He knew he was forgetting something.

What was it? It was...

Why couldn't he remember it? It was like it was something that was nearly at his fingertips yet he couldn't grasp it.

What was it?!

"Shirou!" He looked up to see Chloe looking down at him with worried eyes. He looked towards what he had been holding on to.

"Ah! I'm sorry Chloe!" He could see her arms turning red from where he had been holding her. If he had gripped any further, it would have bruised or worse. Thankfully, she was tougher than she looked.

"Are you alright? You don't have to force yourself to remember if you can't."

They waited in silence as he tried to make sense of it. There was a hole in his memories. He knew it. But he did not know how to retrieve it, or was it even lost?

The mild scent of morning dew entering from the opened windows gave him some sense of familiarity. Everything was normal. That was what he told himself.

But in the depths of his heart, he was afraid. This was where it all began for _Berserker_.

No. I will never become him!

As if taunting him, a voice in his head whispered to him.

 _Keep telling yourself that. But that is the inevitable end for a fool like you who seeks power! Quite fitting isn't it? Oh great Hero of the End..._

"Shirou... please tell us the truth. How are you able to create those swords?" Roxy was up on the bed on his right while Chloe was on his left. He had nowhere to go.

Celeste was in front of him waiting expectantly for an answer. Even Revan who was some ways behind her seemed curious, he could not tell with the mask but his slight movement as if to lean closer was already an indication.

He sighed.

Emiya Shirou had never been able to lie. He was able to hide the truth but he could never tell a lie. Maybe it was in his nature as a 'Sword'. There never was a need to lie on the battlefield, he only needed to fight.

He opened his mouth to begin, but the loud banging of the door stopped him short. At the door, a crimson haired girl entered the room followed by Ghyslaine. As if just noticing the tense atmosphere, the Beast race woman tried to make a joke.

"Hey? Did someone die? Why so serious?"

Why so serious?

Shirou could not help but praise her timely intervention.

Eris looked at him and took a stance almost reminiscent of Sauros. Was she trying to imitate her grandfather? Cute. She looked as intimidating as puppy.

"You! Let's go spar!" He found himself gaping.

Celeste was fuming. Chloe was by his looking almost amused. Roxy? She was being herself and was waiting for an answer. Revan seemed to have disappeared when the door had opened.

Where had that guy gone to? Maybe he was shy and did not want for other people to see him in a maid costume... Right. He would rather face Chloe's infernal beatings than allow himself to be disgraced in front of those he considered his lesser. That was the kind of pride that guy had.

Ghyslaine spoke up before anything else could happen.

He had a feeling that those words were making Celeste twitch in anger. For what?

"What young Lady Eris is trying to say is, she wants to get know you better."

Why a spar? Maybe it was some nonsense Ghyslaine taught about how you could learn more about the other person by beating then with a stick. She was Eris's sword teacher and that statement was not untrue. Even he remembered reading something about fist solving problems better than talking from a shounen manga in his former world.

One could learn more about a person if they've fought against them. How one fight's is usually a reflection of the person's character.

He could see Eris's face getting redder as she waited for an answer. His past experiences told him that he needed to respond or he would suffer a fate similar to Revan's. Great pain and utter humiliation.

"Oh, ok-"

"Wait. Shirou, you still haven't answered my question." Roxy was clinging to his arm as if challenging Eris to try to drag him away by force.

"Ufufufu, little Shirou is already being fought over by girls! Oh my! ~ Ah, then please excuse me for a bit. I'll be downstairs preparing dinner if you need me."

Ugh. Chloe, please don't make this get any worse.

Looks like he did not have any choice. Roxy wanted answers. He needed to pacify Celeste who was being dragged out of the room by Chloe and he needed to prevent Chloe from gathering more material to tease him with.

"Let's talk first after breakfast. Chloe, can you please let me help you in the kitchen?"

Oh, and of course he was also to begin his first steps of his conquest of the Holy Land, the 'kitchen'. It had been sometime since he was able to cook, if Chloe would ever allow him to step inside the kitchen just once...

* * *

-0-

Ah, so this must be what heaven tasted like...

So sweet, cool and creamy...

The different tastes of fruit and milk was melting in her mouth.

"Roxy-sensei? How was it?" Shirou was waiting for an answer expectantly. The others had varying reactions from squirming blissfully in their seats to Ghyslaine's almost terrifying reaction of possessiveness as she defended her own bowl of 'ice cream' from a fiercely attacking Celeste.

She looked again. It was Celeste. Just how terrifying was this food called 'ice cream' to make even that composed woman into a thieving beast? She speedily shoveled what remained in her bowl before the others could take notice of it.

"It's good." No, it was heavenly! Shirou, please marry me when you grow up!

Not that she could say that. Sweets had always been one of her weakness. Like the rest of her race, she liked all kind of sweet things. She had once tasted something similar to this when she had been invited once by a rich noble to discuss terms at dinner. She forgot what they called it but Shirou called it ice cream. It wasn't even as delicious as this; it was just frozen sweets. But this? This was absolute bliss in a bowl.

A rather appropriate name, just like Shirou to name a food from what it was made of.

She waited as order was restored on the table.

Shirou was at the head of the table waiting calmly for Chloe to return from the kitchen. Whatever it was he wanted to say, he wanted all of them to know it. Though he did seem a bit hesitant with Eris and Ghyslaine being here.

"Oh? So everyone is here? You can begin now Shirou." Chloe entered the room still in her apron.

The boy took a deep breath.

"Do you know what reincarnation is?"

The others didn't seem to show much reaction except for Revan and Celeste. They knew something she did not.

The concept of reincarnation had been a hot topic back when she first entered a Magic University. Among scholars, it was a very controversial topic because it was touching upon sensitive matters. It was about the truth of the soul. A believer of Milis would say that only god knows about such things and it should stay that way.

Scholars whose nature are very much centered on learning, would argue with such things. They would try to find explanation for such things. The study of souls was a very tricky subject. According to scholars, all souls return to somewhere when their physical vessel dies or decays. Religion referred to such places as heaven or hell, the afterlife and the other world. Nobody knew where it was souls go.

But they were certain that all souls would one way or another, regain a physical vessel. It was a cycle as they called it. A person who died a thousand years ago may have the same soul as the person next to you.

She knew of a certain scholar who hypothesized that under very special conditions, a soul that has could keep its memories. This was the explanation they came up with for [Inherited Memories]. Though [Inherited Memories] was another touchy subject.

The boy opened his mouth.

"I... am a reincarnation-"

They were startled with the sound of the table being slammed. They looked towards Celeste who had her head down and fists on the table.

Roxy could see the slight trembling in her arms.

"Shirou... then do you know what this is?" Celeste took out a blade. It was neither a dagger nor a sword. It was short, more than two palms in length and three fourths of a palm in width. It was probably useless as weapon, it was too thick to use as a dagger and too short as a sword. It was made of steel, probably enchanted to never rust. It was a simple unadorned blade.

What was peculiar about it was the strange writings engraved on the blade.

" _Seek the first Legend, seek the First Shadow. To my ever gallant Hero, know that your Queen has created thy path for you._

 _The Queen of Babylon."_

"What did that mean?" Chloe voiced the question for them.

"It... it's a message. Celeste... where did you find that?"

"It's from the treasury of the Crimson Rose... even from the beginning, I've had my suspicions. Shirou, is this yours?"

The boy grimaced.

"No... I am not who you think I am Celeste. That... blade was owned by someone I knew. She is not me..."

"She? So you knew who she was from the past?"

"Wait. Who is she? And how did you get a hold of something like... Oh, oh. So that was it all along." Roxy looked at Celeste and Chloe.

The boy was related to the Asuran Military. It was very likely that Celeste was the elusive leader of the Crimson Rose, or was it Chloe? No, one way or another, this people were all related to that dangerous military order.

"Neh... Ghyslaine, what does a reincarnation mean?" Eris tugged at his guard trying to obscure but her voice was anything but loud.

"Ahhh, that's a really hard question Eris. Just think of them as people who are a bit special, okay?"

Special was understating it.

"So... does that mean that you have memories of your past? How long ago did you live? Who were you in the past?" She couldn't stop herself. This was just prime research material. The scholar in her yearned for the answers.

"I... was once a warrior. I don't know how long ago I lived. And I don't think anyone would remember me either if I was from the past..." Shirou answered her questions slowly.

It was a mistake to ask the last question. If her guess was right, then Shirou should have existed when that blade was made. Nnnnggh, if only she could get Shirou to tell her what the message on the blade meant. But he did seem reluctant to answer anything related to it...

"Celeste, Chloe, Revan. I know I have kept this from all of you, if you want to leave because of that, then I'll allow you. I thank you all for what you- Gubuh!" The air left Shirou's lungs Chloe crushed him in a brutal death hug.

"What are you saying Shirou! Of course you're still my little Shirou! Even if you say what you say you are! That doesn't change anything alright! Shirou will always be Shirou!" Roxy couldn't help but palm her face. What was it with this woman and her need to shove those breasts of hers on the boy?

"HHHHMMMMMPPPP."

Let go of him woman, those massive useless globs of flesh of yours are strangling him!

"Chloe let go of Master." Celeste intervened before the boy could suffocate.

"Puahhh!"

"Master Shirou..." Celeste gazed at the boy. Even Roxy could see the veins popping on her forehead. "If you say such nonsense again, I will be forced to administer punishment on you. As Chloe said, this changes nothing. Why would you ever think of such things?"

"I'm sorry Celeste..."

"I have sworn to be your blade My Prince. You have my eternal loyalty until the day you deem me unnecessary." Revan respectfully bowed.

Wait, when did he take of the maid uniform?

"Graah! It's because you're being a bad influence by acting like that Revan! That's why Shirou always gets into trouble!"

Sigh... guess that's the end of the discussion. She had been expecting more answers though. But with Chloe starting to beat Revan into a pulp, she would have to find time to ask Shirou later.

Roxy jumped off her chair and made her way to the door. Halfway through, she hesitated. She turned towards the boy.

"Shirou, we will be having your magic lessons this afternoon. There are a few things that we'll have to go through."

The boy was torn between answering her first or stopping before Chloe really did beat Revan unconscious. Shirou turned to her after a though.

"Eh, uhm, yes Sensei!"

She nodded to herself. At least the boy seemed to still be interested in learning from her.

A reincarnated soul eh? Well... this really did change nothing. But still... she was missing some things here. There was something that only Celeste and Revan seemed privy to. She'd look into it if it wasn't anything too dangerous.

Besides, it's not like the woman Shirou had been talking about was anyone that important? Right? Her thoughts turned back to that thick unusual dagger. Really... she repeated the words that Shirou had spoken earlier.

" _Seek the first Legend, seek the First Shadow. To my ever gallant Hero, know that your Queen has created thy path for you._

 _The Queen of Babylon."_

It was in a language that was foreign to her. Even the way she said it didn't seem to be how Shirou said it. The boy was a treasure trove of mysteries. She did say she'd have Shirou take responsibility (have him answer it all), didn't she?

* * *

-0-

His first memory was of the scent of blood and the steel in his grip as he forced it deeper on his foe. His trusted blade was his only true possession. Well, that and his life.

Growing up in the slums really hadn't been a healthy experience. But he would take what he had. He killed and killed until his hands were forever stained with the color of blood. He had lost count of the number of people he killed just so that he could live. That was just the kind of world the dark side of the capital was. It was a cruel place.

The old greying walls that grew dirtier with age at his back and his enemies in front. With that, he came to rule the slums. He came to be known as Revan of the Silent Blade.

Then the soldiers came for him. They too fell to his blade. Bounty hunters and assassins came for his head. They were no match for him. When they could not defeat him, they tried to lure him to their sides with sweets words and promises of wealth and riches. He rejected them all.

He wanted nothing to do with them. Because he had grown to learn of the ways of the world. If he joined any of them, then it would be inevitable for him to enter the higher ranks one day. He was not afraid of anything. But he learned from his few interactions with nobles that the Royal Court was an even darker place than the slums. That den of rich criminals was not a world he wanted to be part of.

But one day, an enemy came. It was an enemy he could not defeat. He had thought that it had been some kind of joke at first. But maybe that was the first time she had caught his eye. Alicia of the Crimson Rose and her Bloody Princess appeared.

At that time, he wondered, so what offer do they have for me this time? He had thought that these two women were there to offer their bodies in exchange for his services. But he was proven wrong. It had been a very valuable lesson, a very valuable and painful lesson. He had been too conceited, too foolish, too naive. He was defeated with ease of brute force. The Bloody Princess forced him to his knees in front of Alicia. He was given a choice.

But was the choice between death and servitude really a choice? It was an ultimatum. Of course he had chosen to live thinking, 'I will grow stronger and I will reclaim my freedom.' The Bloody Princess had sneered at him and ask him to do so. But it was not to her that she owed his freedom to but to the Twenty First Rose, Shadow God Alicia.

A year after that, he had lost all notion of wanting freedom. Shadow God Alicia was a monster that he would never be able to defeat in this lifetime nor the next, maybe not ever.

Revan inhaled the cold night air as he waited under a tree. He felt the breeze tickling his nose. He smiled softly. Wasn't this the same kind of night that had brought about the end of his freedom? This was the same kind of moonless night where he fought against the Bloody Princess.

The numerous jewels of the skies were the only source of light.

He felt someone tap him on the shoulders. He looked to towards the owner of the hand. It was Celeste. Her abilities at stealth really were something else. Though she may have been the weakest at direct combat, Celeste was more than deadly enough when she wanted to be. It was no easy feat to take the reins of the Crimson Rose after all. The members of the Rose would never bow to someone weak.

"This has confirmed it. Shirou is the boy that the Founder spoke of but... this also conflicts with what we suspected. We thought that the boy was the Founder's reincarnation. But he has denied it... unless..."

The boy was a reincarnation of a student of the Founder? Or maybe someone related to the Founder in anyway... That was what Celeste was thinking. He would have thought so too if only a certain wraith had not been too talkative about it.

The wraith said the boy was the reincarnation of a God! Absurd he had thought. But the more he saw about the boy, the more convinced he was of its words. That changed nothing though. He would still serve and protect the boy. So what if the boy had the memories of a God?

"Revan, what do you think of it? What do you think of all these?"

"This changes nothing. It has only served to explain where the Prince has gained his peculiar intelligence and abilities. Does him having the memories of a person from the past change what he is to us?"

"It does not."

"Then that is my answer. I will do what I must."

"Heh. You never change Revan. Hopefully you never will. What of the information from the palace? Has the King done anything yet?"

"The King has been silent. He is thinking Celeste. But when he moves, we will not be able to do anything about it. He is the King of Asura and the Rose serves the King. I doubt the King will do anything but confirm if the boy really is his son."

He could see the weariness leaving Celeste's face. Even with the stress piling up on her, she still looked beautiful. Another of her worries was taken from her. But he doubted if Celeste would not prepare for the King's move. This woman had a plan for everything.

"So the King will most likely call our Master to Court."

"Yes, most likely."

Revan directed his gaze towards the house his Master currently was in. The lights on the first floor were mostly all out and only four rooms still their lights on the second floor.

"Are you going back to the Capital?"

"We have no choice. I am the only one strong enough to watch over Cassius. He has been restless lately. But promise that what happened will not happen again."

He could hear Celeste grinding his teeth. Was it really that hard for her to accept a mistake?

"Okay... I promise. But I doubt I will have to step in. Chloe has taken to watching the boy more closely. No harm will come to him. When will you be back? The Prince would have wanted you to stay longer this time."

"I don't know. As long it takes for Cassius to straighten himself and get serious with his own work. I'll be handling the intelligence reports once I get some time off so that you can take it easier here."

"Thanks..."

"No thanks are needed. I am only thinking of our efficiency. It would be counterproductive for you to be working so much when you were here in the first place to take care of the Master."

"I guess you're right again..."

He looked towards the elf. Just how old was Celeste again? Not that he cared. He was just curious. Probably more than a hundred years old. Her dark purple hair was growing too fast again. It was already reaching her midback. Just how fast does her hair grow?

"Get some sleep Celeste. You look like you need it."

"Then I'll be going Revan. Take care of yourself. Master would be saddened if something ever happened to you. You know he considers us as some kind of family."

"I know. Just go."

He could hear Celeste's footsteps fading.

It was time to go. He felt like he was forgetting something. He would have to remember it when he was back at the Capital. He muttered a spell that he often used to traverse the world using shadows.

" _Silent Travel."_

It was another teaching of the Shadow Arts. As he travelled through the dark world, he pondered.

"So just how powerful will you become, my Lord and Master?"

The memories of a God huh?

"I just hope you will stay safe Shirou..." he whispered where no one could hear him.

Power begets power. But a peerless power would always draw other powerful creatures towards it. Hopefully the boy wouldn't draw those that would attempt to bring harm to him. Revan just hoped.

* * *

-0-

[Wind Magic], it was a category of [Attack Magic] that could control wind as its name implied.

Shirou never did have the luxury of creating weapons and using them just for the sake of analyzing them.

"Uwaaah! Do it again!" Eris gleefully watched as he used a minor Noble Phantasm to control the wind.

Well, it was not so much as control but rather direct and gather. He moved the dagger's point back towards the sky. The dagger was not meant to be a weapon, merely an instrument used to direct the breeze. It was one of the numerous blades he had seen from a treasury.

What he was doing could not even be considered as an [Attack Magic] but the scale that was able to affect a small area.

"Hmm, I'd this is something on the level of Saint magic. But the effect is too weak."

"Roxy-sensei, how do you rank the levels of magic?" He looked at the blue haired girl who was watching the dagger he was holding. He knew she wanted to hold it but she just didn't want to admit it.

"Elementary level is basic mana manipulation. Intermediate level is advanced, Advanced level is complex manipulation of mana and Saint level magic is on another tier.

If you're talking about the area of effect... most Elementary level magic is only single target. Intermediate would be enough to affect one to three meters in diameter and the more aggressive Advanced level magic is strong enough to destroy buildings. For Saint level magic, it can affect an entire town. Because most Saint level magic are able to affect the weather itself."

That... was insane. So just how strong were King Ranked Magicians? Or even beyond that?

He shivered. There were people who were able to destroy towns with ease? It was a wonder that this world had not already devolved into a state of anarchy with the number of absurdly powerful people in it.

"So powerful are King Ranked and Emperor Ranked Magicians?"

He wasn't sure if Roxy heard him or not with how intense he was looking at the dagger. He extended it towards her.

"Do you want to try using it sensei?" He would have been fooled with how unchanging her face remained but Shirou had learned a lot of the peculiarities and the tell-tale signs on the stoic Roxy.

"Hmm very well, if you insist-"

But before Roxy could take someone else had grabbed the dagger. He could almost see a vein popping on her forehead.

"Let me try it!" Eris started pointing the dagger at different directions, the breeze followed with ease.

He could see Roxy's face darkening.

"Ahahaha... don't worry sensei, I think Eris will get tired of that thing soon enough. You can look at it later." Or maybe he could create another one? He didn't mind if it was for his teacher. What he would mind was the chance of any blade he created falling into the wrong hands. This was one of the reasons he resorted to creating only normal blades.

He spaced out again. His thoughts returned to the blade Celeste had shown him a few days ago.

Babylon... There were no doubts about it. _She_ had been here. But it was unthinkable for a person like _her_ to not leave a mark on this world. What had _she_ been planning? What did _she_ want him to do? Even now his past would not let go of him.

He had been like this for the past few days. His thoughts would return to that blade and he would try to find meaning on what it meant. If he just looked at the words directly, he could easily understand what it meant.

He was broken out of his thoughts when Ghyslaine spoke up.

"So boy, how about you create something else? I didn't know you were serious when you said you could create weapons out of nothing. Maybe create something you can remember from your memories of the past?" Ghyslaine spoke from her perch on a tree, her tail lazily waving back and forth as she leaned against a branch comfortably.

He always did wonder how they were able to take his admission to being a reincarnated person so easily. Was it even considered reincarnation? And how come they just treated it as him having the memories of someone from the past? It felt... different from what he had expected their reactions would be.

What surprised him more was the way they accepted it so easily. They had not tried to pry any further after that short discussion a few days ago. It was like that answer explained everything for them. Maybe they were just trying to be considerate?

Well, he didn't care. He was satisfied with this.

They were outside of the village. Chloe was back home cleaning and doing some chores while Celeste was locked up in one of the rooms upstairs doing some work.

"Let me think of something then."

He delved into his soul and searched.

He had regained bits and pieces of memories of what happened during the time he had disappeared. But those were only memories he had gleaned from the blades they had taken from a goblin camp. He remembered his hands shaking as he tried to hold a blade. Why?

He let go of those thoughts and searched for a blade.

His eyes caught sight of one. It was a steel short sword, another nameless minor Noble Phantasm from the vast treasury of Babylon. It was created to assist hunters. It could lure beasts as far as a mile or two away towards it as long as it was stuck into the ground.

He opened his eyes. The sword had already materialized in his hand before he could even think.

"Hmm? What does that do Shirou?" Roxy looked the new blade with interest.

"It's supposed to lure animals towards it..." He stabbed the sword into the ground and waited. He heard a thud behind him and noticed that Ghyslaine was approaching the sword.

"It certainly is working." Ghyslaine sauntered towards them.

"Eh? It is? Do I need to remove it?"

"No need. It's only tugging at my senses but not controlling my mind. So it does draw animals towards it, I didn't it would work even on me." Ghyslaine moved closer to look at the sword.

"Are you sure you are alright Ghyslaine?"

"Hmm? Of course I am but... mmmhh this, I don't know how to say it. It's awakening my feline instincts."

It was fine as long as she could think. But if that sword worked on Ghyslaine, did that just mean it drew all kinds of animals? He suddenly had a bad feeling about this. Wait. Where was Eris?

A shrill scream erupted from nearby. It was followed by a howl of a wolf.

He was already running towards it before he could think. His reinforced muscles pumped and enabled him to reach Eris before Ghyslaine could even react.

He looked towards the girl. He could see the fear in her eyes as a wolf was in a crouch about to pounce on her. She held the dagger towards the wolf with shaking arms.

He had to save her. Ghyslaine still some ways behind him. She would not be able to reach her in time.

A sword appeared in his hands with a thought, a katana. He hesitated. His hands trembled.

 _Why do you hesitate? Do you truly think that if you do not wield a blade, conflict will not follow you? You are being a fool Shirou? It is the privilege of the strong to always wield a blade. It is the privilege of the mighty to defend what is rightfully theirs. Because in the end... you are a 'Sword', Shirou. You will always be drawn to conflict._

 _A Sword will surely be stained with blood again with conflict. Do not hesitate. Did you not want to live? And did you not want to conquer me? To dominate me? Heh... I will never acknowledge an uninteresting weakling Shirou!_

He sprang into action. He reinforced his body, his brain and his senses to the limit. The world slowed down almost to a halt.

The wolf was in mid jump. He could make it. He raised his blade high.

" _Tou no Kata: Enren!"_

His blade slashed and hacked at the beast continuously. He allowed his breath to return to its normal state. The beast had been thrown across the clearing. What was left of it was no longer identifiable.

His hands were still trembling but he was able to get a hold of himself. He allowed the blade to disperse into prana. Blood had stained his face with how brutally he had cut down the creature.

"Are you alright Eris?"

"O-of course I a-am. H-hmph, who you think I am? As if I would be scared by a mere wolf." He smiled to himself. Even with what could have been a near death for her, the girl still had some spunk. It was not a bad thing though.

He clenched his trembling hands. He had listened to that voice in the back of his head. But that voice was eerily similar to certain Queen's.

Eris was startled when he started laughing.

"Hey! What's so funny!?"

"Oh, uh, hahaha, nothing Eris, it's nothing. Hehehe..." He wiped the tears from his eyes. Even though you are no longer with me... you still find ways to trouble me _Gilgamesh._ He sighed. What an annoying woman.

But what the voice said was true... he would always be drawn towards conflict or conflict would always come to him. What was he afraid of? He had only ever completely lost himself once. But that single time he had lost himself to power was not because he was drunk with power but because he chose to become who he truly was, a Sword.

His blades, his entire armory were but tools, _he_ was the 'weapon'.

That was how he had defeated an ancient God who sought to bring ruin to a world. It was alright.

He tried to comfort himself. It was alright to become a weapon once more if he did it to protect those around him. He would not fail them like he had done to those in his previous life. He would not dare fail them. Because if he did... that path was the path to ruin. He would slowly turn into that _thing_ that he loathed the most.

"Shirou! Eris! Are you alright!?" Ghyslaine burst into the clearing with the noble phantasm in her left hand and her blade on the other. Roxy followed right after her panting while leaning on her staff.

"We're fine Ghyslaine."

Several howls resounded from afar. More were coming this way.

"Roxy can you take them back to the village. I need to kill those wolves before they get to near the village."

"Alright. Shirou, Eris, let's go."

The walk back to the village was uneventful. They had not encountered anything dangerous. Eris had been glancing at furtively though, he wondered about that.

* * *

-0-

The Royal Court of Asura was a place where only the worthiest allowed to tread. Famous paintings and luxurious carpets were a common sight. In this world, there were two kinds of people those who were worthy and those who weren't. This was a classification a certain princess came up with.

Ariel considered herself as one of the worthy.

Surrounded by maids to cater to her every whim, she was not lacking in any way.

Ariel sat in a garden while beings served by her maids. Her only companion and would she daresay friend, was with her. Luke Notos Greyrat sat opposite her while stirring his tea. They were both at the age of nine, and most who grew in the palace at such an age were no longer considered children. Ariel's magic lessons had just ended and they were enjoying a peaceful conversation.

They were under a shade created especially for such a reason. The scent of flowers and ripe fruit was prominent.

"What do you think of the news Luke? Of my long lost little brother finally showing up, father has issued a decree for him to return to here." What she was talking about was the enigmatic Fourth Prince.

"Are you perhaps curious of him?" The boy raised an eyebrow. His face though young, was already starting to show signs how handsome the boy would grow to be.

"Wouldn't you? I've heard talk that father wants to name him as a successor. They say he is a prodigy with a unique kind of magic." She daintily raised a cup to her lips.

She was curious of this person they called the Fourth Prince. If she was any younger, she would be showing her curiosity by pestering Luke to ask more about her 'little brother'. But such things as showing emotions were frowned upon in this place.

That was why she was trying to probe Luke if he knew about this boy. Luke, in all his young wisdom might get the clue and ask around for her. It was beneath her station as a princess to do something as low as talking to maids. She could command them, yes, but they were unlikely to share the more crucial parts of the information that way.

"Most of those are just baseless rumors Princess. Maybe he is good with magic but it was exaggerated to such as degree that they would call him a prodigy."

"But still... have you heard anything about him? When do you he is coming?" Luke smiled at the Princess.

"You are curious about him. Don't deny it Princess, I can tell. But from what I've heard, they say he is a son of the missing Shadow God. The King has not yet confirmed this but the according to gossip from the maids, this is true. If you really want to see him, then you will have to wait. The rider was only sent out this morning to inform the Fourth Prince to return."

She thanked Luke for that tidbit. She already knew that Luke was talented to such a degree. She had already told her father of her plans to make him as her first Knight. All members of the Royal family were allowed to take retainers and vassals. Because such were the ways and traditions established since old times.

"...Still, there's a rumor running around of how the Fourth Prince supposedly destroyed a goblin army in anger. This is just a rumor princess but I have my doubts that it is real. One of my more reliable sources of information said that one a drunk soldier from Fedoa told of such stories.

I wouldn't say a drunk is a reliable source of information but there are always some kind of truth found in those rumors."

She smiled giddily. Now she was getting excited. The Fourth Prince had been the talk of the court ever since his existence was revealed. Already, there were multiple noble families grooming their daughters for the coming celebration with his arrival. It was not really too bad to start early, many from nobility considered arranging marriages even before their children were born.

But she doubted the Fourth Prince even look at them. He was of the royal blood. Even his eyes were rumored to be of the famous golden color that symbolized the bloodline of Asura. She herself had blue eyes. But she did have the blonde hair that set her status as a Princess irrefutable.

The banners of Asura had the imprint of a golden lion with crossed swords as a background. They said that the golden lion symbolized the first King of Asura, a man who was said to have golden hair and eyes.

Ariel diverted the topic of the conversation to something else.

"Sir Derrick has been asking about you. You were not here for the magic lessons again."

Luke sighed in exasperation.

"As I said before Princess, I don't want to learn magic. I'm already trying to learn the sword. Don't you think that's enough?"

"It would be better for you to at least have the basics down if ever. You will never know when you will need it you know?"

"You really are trying to make your knight, aren't you?" Luke smiled wryly.

"Who knows? You already know the answer to that Luke. Well, at least you aren't neglecting your other studies."

"Of course I'm not. Who do you think I am?" Luke smiled jokingly.

They continued their banter but her mind was elsewhere. What was her 'younger brother' like? It was not uncommon for siblings of royal descent to hate each other. They knew that they would all be competing for a throne someday, that was why it was inevitable for them to grow apart.

Hopefully she would get to know him before he grew up and would become as distant as her brothers.

* * *

-0-

The smell of brewed herbs wafted from the kitchen. Roxy dragged her feet to the kitchen. She took a seat and waited for Shirou to finish. A moment later, a cup of hot drink was placed in front of her.

She took a sip of it. Then another. And another.

"Shirou... what is this?"

"Oh, that's chocolate. I asked Chloe to help me in processing it. Do you like it? Was it too sweet? Maybe a little bitter?"

Please just grow up already so that you can marry me Shirou!

"What is it made of?"

"Oh, I think it was cocoa? Hmm, what did they call it again? Is it bad?" The boy anxiously fidgeted as he waited for her verdict.

"No, it's just right. I've tasted this 'chocolate' before but never this good. Why is it sweet?" If what Shirou was referring to was cocoa, it was a luxurious drink only reserved for nobles and those rich enough to afford it. She had tried it in the past but she never did like the taste. It was bitter.

"I've added some sweeteners into it. Hmmm, I think it needs more cream... Maybe little less milk and more cream... since cream would act in the same way as a sweetener..."

She left the boy to his thoughts. It would not do disturb him when he was trying to think of better ways to improve this delicious drink!

"Ahhh, this smell... is this the chocolate you were talking about Shirou? It certainly does smell delicious." Chloe entered from the backdoor of the kitchen connected to the garden. In her right hand was a basket of fresh vegetables. "Oh and thanks for looking after the soup Shirou."

Chloe set down the basket and went to attend to the pot.

"It's no problem Chloe."

Was she imagining it? Or did Shirou's eyes gleamed just then. It was like he was trying to do an imitation of a villain who had just had his plan succeed.

She scoffed at the thought. The boy was harmless. Then he remembered his ability to create swords out of thin air. Maybe not that harmless, but he would never hurt anyone on purpose. That was just the kind of child he was.

"Shirou..." She took a breath. She needed to psyche herself up for this. She'd been thinking about this since yesterday. She had decided though. "Let's experiment."

Wait. That came out wrong. She could already see Chloe smiling evilly from behind.

"No, what I meant to say was. Can I experiment more with your swords? I want to know more about it." That still came out wrong if she imagined the words in another way but... it would do.

"Ohh?~ You're going to experiment with Shirou's _sword_? Isn't he a bit too young for that? Hmm? Ah, but I don't mind. It's better if he starts to learn early. Who better to teach him such things than his _sensei~?_ Ufufufufu." Chloe giggled teasingly. Really, this woman...

"Okay."

"Uh, but if you don- wait, it's okay?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I don't mind sensei. You've been really helping me learn more about magic and about the world. This is the least I can do to thank you."

But she was receiving payment for it.

"Thank you Shirou, let's meet up later this afternoon okay?"

"Yes sensei. Oh right, I almost forgot. I'll be with Eris and Ghyslaine for the rest of the day Chloe. You don't have to go looking for me."

"Uguuuhhh... you've been neglecting your big sister lately Shirou! Tomorrow you'll be spending the day with me. I won't accept any arguments!"

"Yes, yes." The boy agreed with nonchalance.

Time passed quickly during the day. She had been outside earlier talking with the villagers and she had just returned. The villagers had asked her to help a little with the drought problem. She was a Saint Ranked Water magician. With some incantation, she was able to control the weather conditions allowing rain to fall on the southern part of the village.

That was where most of their agriculture was concentrated on.

She stood up when a soft knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh, Shirou, it's you... you're here early. Can you sit on the center of that circle?" The boy made his way to the center of the room. On it was a basic magic array used to keep mana still in a single place. It made it easier to remove various variables from interfering in experiments.

Though she said it was basic, it was really only one out three utility magic arrays that she knew. Such knowledge was hard to come by even from the Magic University of Ranoa. Most knowledge they had of magic arrays were either old or were the ones developed by Milis. One could only have access to such arrays if they had connections within Milishion. And most believers of Milis weren't really kind towards non-humans.

"Okay Shirou, you can begin. Can you create something like a normal sword?" She leaned close but not close enough to invade inside the circle.

" _Trace On._ " The boy muttered something under his breath. Maybe it was the name of the spell?

Motes of light that looked like mana at its purest gathered in the boy's hands. It was a beautiful sight no matter how many times she saw it.

The sword materialized.

"Hmm, can you give it to me?" The boy handed the sword to her.

It was solid. The same as all the other ones he had created before. It really was unbelievable. If she was any less ignorant of the ways of the world, she would have called him a God. This kind of magic really was unique. The creation of an object from nothing but mana...

She ran a hand through the blades edge enough to draw blood.

It was sharp.

"Shirou... what was that phrase you muttered? Do you need an incantation to do this?"

"Eh? Uhm, I guess? It's not really so much as an incantation but just a habit. I use a phrase to put into the right state of mind for magecraft."

"Magecraft? You keep mentioning that. Why do call magic magecraft? Is it what it was called in your memories?"

"It is. Uhm, from what I can remember, magecraft is something that can be done even without the use of magic. While what I remember of magic is it's something that can't be replicated."

That caught her interest.

"Can you explain it further?"

"It's something like this. A blacksmith can create a similar sword that I made using the normal process. It's the same with igniting fire and using magecraft to create fire. But I think the way that you can control the weather would be considered magic..."

"Hmm? So that's how it is. But there's something you're not telling me Shirou. How about those swords of yours that had some special enchantments on them? Like the dagger that could control the direction of a breeze."

The boy scratched the back of his head as he was caught with something.

"Uhmm, that's different. Well... you see, the way I create swords is... how do I say this? I create swords from my memories." His hands lit up with mana, what formed in his hands were not the normal swords that he usually created.

Two swords, a pair of twins with how similar they looked. She was captivated by the beauty of the blades. The black sword was covered by hexagonal patterns and the white sword was polished white, the color of a cloud.

"I can create swords that are in my memories. This swords... they are pair. One would not be complete without the other. They were forged from the Essence of Five Mountains and the Metal of Six Heroes, but what truly completes this masterpiece is the sacrifice that was given to complete it." The boy's tone sounded melancholic but she could tell he like those blades with the way he praised them.

Maybe the boy really did have something similar to [Inherited Memories].

"Are you able to create something else aside from blades?"

"Oh, I can only create weapons. I've tried creating other things in the past but the furthest I was able to create was a shield. I did try creating armor but it leaves too much strain on me. It's useless for me to create armors. Also, the stronger a weapon or a shield is, the harder and the more prana it consumes from me. But I have a far easier time creating blades, specially swords."

She nodded. So those were the limits of his abilities. But still, that was amazing. The boy was a walking armory of weapons as long as he had mana.

"By the way Shirou, you always call mana as prana right? What's the difference?"

"Eh? Mana is a subcategory of Prana. The other subcategory is Od. I call Od the prana produced by living being. Mana is prana that exist in the atmosphere. I refer to mana as prana cause it's easier to remembered that way."

Heh?

Roxy remembered a thesis that had once been presented by a student at the University. Mana was said to be diverse. This was the only time she had heard of someone else acknowledging it. If the boy said so, guess it was a lot more believable.

Oh wait.

"Shirou, you said you can create any blade that's in your memories right?"

"I did say that..."

Her mind was running with possibilities. If he said something like that... could the boy recreate legendary blades like Ragnarok? The blade, Ragnarok, was said to be a blade of great power that was lost before the beginning of the Demon-Human Wars. It was a blade that was so feared that only when the humans learned of its loss were they able to regain the moral to oppose the Demon God Laplace.

She wanted to ask. She really wanted to.

Finally giving into the urge, she did.

"You said you create any blade from your memories right? So how many blades can you remember?"

Maybe a hundred, maybe a thousand. Something beyond those numbers would be plainly absurd.

"A... lot?"

She breathed out a sigh of relief. A lot could probably somewhere near a thousand. If the boy had memories of more than that, she would start to wander if he was even human to have remembered such a large number of weapons.

She smiled softly at Shirou, one of her rare smiles.

"Can't you remember how many it is? A lot isn't a number you know?"

"Oh, but I did lost count past the hundred thousand-"

Roxy felt reality breaking on her. Her smile cracked like fragile glass.

"Shirou, please forget what I said and never mention this to me again." For the sake of my sanity. She wanted to say, but she was getting dizzy.

A hundred thousand... no, that was wrong. He lost count at the hundred thousand mark. Moments later, darkness embraced her.

Hopefully she'd, forget all this when she woke up. She didn't want to remember any of this. She certainly didn't want to.

* * *

-0-

A lone rider galloped through the fields of Fedoa. He was nearly there. His name was Herman Ardus, a messenger assigned with a great responsibility. On his clothes were the emblem of a messenger from the Royal Court. No one would dare impede him.

He bore a message for the Fourth Prince. There were five of them that had been sent out. Of course it was a competition of sorts on who would reach the prince first. Gold was on the line here, gold and a lot of other things.

Normally, this kind of messages allowed the messenger to bring with them escorts and knights to accompany. Herman was one of the older and more experienced messengers. Escorts only slowed down a messenger. Though there had been rumors of a goblin war band on the move in this region, he was skillful enough to steer clear of them. He also had one advantage that the others did not have.

He slowed down when he heard a screech from above. He held out an armored hand. A large bird of prey landed on his hand. It was a falcon.

He dug into his bag for a handful of corn and barley. He fed it to the bird.

"We'll be having meat later Fortis. Please bear with this for now. So... what did you see?" The bird squawked and made some noise. He had named the falcon, Fortis, after the name of a legendary messenger who was said to have rode through countless battlefields in order to give message to the current King of Asura during the Human-Demon War.

Fortis also meant courage.

Herman had an ability to understand animals, more specifically birds. It was nothing special. Once in a while, there were people who were born with such rare abilities. For him it was the ability to 'Bird Talk' as his companions jokingly called it. But such an ability was indispensable to him. With this ability, he had been able to tame an injured bird of prey that he had found in his backyard when he was a child.

Since then, the bird had been helping him with various things. He had taken after his father's legacy as a trusted messenger.

The message that the bird provided surprised him.

There really were goblins roaming about. They had a rather large camp southwest of here, about a day's ride away. He would have to steer clear of that area. He prayed that the others would be safe and not run near that place. Though they were rivals, he did not wish harm on his fellow messengers.

After the bird was fed, it flew back to the skies.

He sometimes envied them, the birds. They were so free. He shook those thoughts away. He got off his horse and rechecked the harness and reins.

He needed to be the first to reach the prince. He needed the gold. His wife was about to give birth. He wanted nothing more than to provide the best for his coming child. He smiled to himself.

He returned to his horse.

He looked towards the direction Fortis had told him. True enough, he could see the faint hint of smoke. He dug his heels into the horse sides to urge it onwards.

The endless riding gave him some free time for thoughts.

The fourth prince eh? What would he be like? He remembered meeting the other members of royalty. A grimace formed on his lips. Hopefully the Fourth Prince wouldn't be anywhere like them. According to the others, he wasn't.

He had to make it to the prince before the other messengers did. He had another reason for wanting to be the first to make it. Hidden under his leather armor, the tattoo of a Rose was branded on his chest.

So he rode hard. For his family, his duty as a messenger of the Royal Court and honor as a member of the Crimson Rose. Thoughts of what his daughter would look like prevented him from looking back southwest.

Because he would have seen that the thin trail of smoke was no longer thin. When goblins marched, they burned everything on their path. And the path that they were headed towards was the same place the messenger was heading towards.

Heroes of the Realm were gathering. In the Herman's mind, it would never be complete without the presence of _their_ King. Something huge was about to happen. He was but one man who would not even make it to the footnotes of history. But he would proudly say that he had done something to help pave a path for a King who would become a legend whose stories would last for ages.

But all this was irrelevant.

The lone rider rode unhindered as a bird of prey watched over him.

* * *

 **A.N.:**

Soo... tada? This was my take on how the people of this world perceived reincarnation. Was it bad? Good? I dunno. Haha. Oh and also a key part of this chaper is Ariel's introduction. But before anyone will try to ask, she is not going to be a part of Shirou's harem. Just no. I know she's cute and all but they are blood-related. I'm being a hypocrite here and I know it. I very much enjoy such stories(w/ incest tag) as much as I would enjoy other works but just no.

I'll try to get the story back on a lighter path. I very much love dark and tragic stories, I can say that I write darker stories better than lighter ones but... Meh. I'm writing this for the fun of it and for those who enjoyed Mushoku Tensei as a novel. Mushoku Tensei had its own dark moments but they were few and far between... Maybe I want to write a darker version of the story but with the same light ending? Meh, I dunno, really.

Anyways, I realized that this will be a long project. Hopefully I will find the motivation to finish this story to the end. I've been trying to equate two to three chapters here to a single volume on the story, so with simple math we can end up with more or less about 70 chapters. Damn... that's a far goal. Let me aim for 30 or something instead. But oh well.

Answering to some reviews…

-Pairings that have already been decided if you haven't noticed.

-ShirouxErisxRoxy

I'm really sorry about this but I'm not adding Sylphy-chan. With her character, I just can't make it work with her being with Shirou with the plot I'm making… So I am either substituting a certain 'elf' or maybe a certain 'Beast race' girl with her.

-Why he couldn't kill the primordial god? I think I mentioned this before but he can't. Because if he did, he'd be condemning his world to destruction. Something like that.

-Curse on Revan? It's actually a geas, search Nasuverse lore if you don't know what it is. Yes, it 'can' be broken by Rule Breaker but Revan can't say anything to anyone about it. It's a part of the geas. I won't be answering further questions on this as this is part of the plot.

-Also, an update date… I'm not sure I can do that… I feel pressured if I try to put up an update date and with my irregular work schedule… RL problems and all that. So I guess I can at least promise a chapter every two weeks?

Oh…

But thanks for all your support so far. Much appreciated people. (=w=)

I also want to ask help on how to put up a crossover archive so that we can put this story on an archive of its own... Thanks in advance!

Please leave a review or something... feedback, opinion, corrections, suggestions...


	6. Sixth Step

Note: Go check out Google for a Mushoku Tensei map, this would probably help a lot with how I'm gonna write out the next few chapters. Also, I'll be moving this story to the crossover section. Thanks to 'gemmysaur' for the info, I did't know Mushoku Tensei had a section of its own.

Disclaimer: (Check the previous chapter)

* * *

 **Chapter 5(Childhood): Gathering**

The province of Donati was known as the second largest region in the Kingdom of Asura. It was famous as the trading center of the north for adventurers and mercenaries.

The northern borders of Donati were mainly dominated by the mountainous terrains of the Red Dragon Mountain Range. There were legends that told that the Red Dragon Mountain Range was the result of a spell from an ancient Dragon God. It was a wall that had protected the Kingdom of Asura even as far back as the great wars that prevented its destruction during the chaotic era.

On this mountain range, a fortress stood proud and tall. It was the nigh impregnable fortress of the North. The fortress city of Airen, the diadem of the Rose. A single long and narrow road was the only path to the city. This ancient city was said to have been established during the old days the Kingdom of Asura. It was as old as Arusu, the Capital of Asura.

But there was another significance to this city. This city was the base of operation of second most powerful military faction of Asura. This city was the Root of the Rose. This was city was also the center of the Shadow God Style's arts.

A group of riders rode onwards on the narrow path towards the city. They were riding on files of two. The riders at the front held aloft a flag with red rose on the shaft of their spears. To an untrained eye, this would have held no significance. But banner held a meaning. No group this heavily armed would have even made it halfway up the road without the banner.

Countless arrows and spears that had been pointed at the group were withdrawn upon seeing the flag.

Calling this city a fortress was an understatement. It was a citadel. Legends of old told of how armies broke themselves upon Airen's wall. Countless generals had failed trying to lay siege to this ancient city.

Though the faction of the Crimson Rose was said to be composed of elite assassins, that was wrong. A military faction that was only composed of a few people no matter how powerful they were would not have been called a faction. It was because of how the Crimson Rose rarely made an appearance that the masses had such misgivings about its true power.

That was to be expected of course. Only the most powerful figures of the Crimson Rose were known to the people. But it was a fact that the Rose had soldier everywhere even amongst the Royal Palace Servant's.

The group of riders stopped in front of the fifth gate, the largest gate that leads to the city. A guard shouted from above the walls.

"Identify yourselves. For what purpose are you here?"

It was the same question that had already been asked for the fourth time.

"We have a message for Lord Cassius from the Shadow Emperor Revan."

Moments later, countless gears could be heard grinding against each other as the portcullis was raised and a bridge was lowered.

The riders waited for the guards signal before they advanced.

Truly the city's title as an unconquerable citadel was no joke.

Towering spires and the unscalable walls made for an impressive sight. People moved aside as the riders advanced to the castle in the distance.

The city looked boorish with all of its buildings made out of stone. But that in itself was what made the city unique. The nearer one was to the castle, the more elegant the buildings were. There were ancient carvings on the buildings that were preserved with magic even to this time. It made the city give off a strange ancient-fortress vibe.

According to legends, this city was built using the aide of both the dwarves and magic. There were even dwarves who had set to this city as pilgrims to learn something from the ancient carvings. There were many rumors regarding the carvings. There was one that said that a lost and ancient way of metal working was carved into one of this city's walls.

There seemed to be some truth to this rumor. A dwarven smith who was said to have visited this city returned to his hometown to create five swords that would later be wielded by Heroes during the numerous wars of the Human Race.

Inside the city walls a castle was built into the center of the town. Within this castle's walls was a chamber. The chamber was almost similar to the Court of Asura's throne room. The Lord of Airen sat on a throne in this room drinking wine leisurely while listening to a minstrel.

"My Lord... shouldn't you dismiss the minstrel already? The people are waiting at the castle's gates. They are seeking your council and guidance..." An advisor to the lord voiced his distress.

"Hahaha! The common people will wait for their Lord to enjoy himself. It is because we spoil them too much that they come to us to complain so often!"

The advisor pleaded further without raising his head.

"B-but my Lord-"

"Leave me now! Tell the rabble that their Lord will does not want an audience right now!"

The advisor bowed his head again and left without a word. The minstrel continued playing though he had been disturbed by such a sight.

"Hmmp! This worthless fools... who do they think they are." Lord Cassius raised his glass waiting for a servant to refill it as he grumbled. After the minstrel finished playing, a servant to the Lord's right whispered.

"Some performers from a travelling troupe have been asked to perform-" The Lord waved him off before he could continue.

"Then call them. Don't keep me waiting."

The servant followed on silently ignoring the Lord's grumbling about incompetent servants.

"Heh, a play eh? How amusing..." The Lord muttered under his breath while staring at one of the actresses. He licked his lips perversely as he gaze turned lecherous stripping the woman with his eyes.

"Servant, I want you to have that woman in my bed tonight. Use whatever means necessary. If she doesn't want gold, then threaten them with death."

The servant averted his gaze from his Lord as he bowed. The servant hid his disgust and merely bowed with a confirmation.

They hated this man. But the servant could not go against the man's words. They only needed to obey for now. Because even with the man's rotten nature, he was still a warrior and one of the most powerful members of the Crimson Rose.

Of all the Five Shadows who could have ruled the city, it just had to be this man. The servant deeply loathed this man. He clenched his teeth in anger. But he would not dare oppose him. Lord Cassius was also known as the Mirror Shadow King Cassius. He specialized in one of the Shadow God Style's arts, illusions.

If only he weren't so strong, this man would have been dead already.

Suddenly, the door the throne room was thrown open with a loud ' _bang_ '. A group of men advanced towards the throne. The performers withdrew from the room fearfully as they tried to escape what would probably be a battlefield.

Lord Cassius stood furiously, his hand on his blade's hilt.

"Who dares enter without my permission!?" No one dared to move as he shouted to the group. Their faces and figures were impossible to decipher with the dark cloaks that shrouded them.

As if waiting for this reaction, a man stepped forward from the center of the mysterious group.

"Shadow King Cassius..." The servant almost bowed in respect as he heard the voice. But he was too stunned to react. Many others who were in the room snapped to attention when they heard the man speak. "The Fourth Prince has been summoned to the Royal Court, as one of the Five True Shadow's your presence has been required."

Whatever magic the man was using earlier to hide his presence was broken as he spoke. The servant tried no to gape as he stared at the man again. The man's figure which looked so hazy earlier gained form in their memories. It was like they were seeing the person more clearly this time.

It must be [Silent Presence], the servant thought. But it was at a level that was so far above their comprehension. This was on a level that erased a person even from their memories. If one looked closely enough at the man who had spoken, there was nothing significant about him. It was... as if he wasn't even there, a shadow.

The servant could not help but sneer inwardly when he saw Lord Cassius's face turn pale.

"O-of course Lord Revan. I would not dare be absent if our King has called for us? Ah- I sincerely apologize for earlier Lord Revan. It was just the stress getting to me! But if I were to leave-" Lord Cassius answered nervously. Sweat dripped down the man's forehead down to his neck.

The servant who was closest to Lord Cassius heard him swallow.

"What do you mean Lord Cassius?"

"Uhm, you see my Lord, who would be left to look over this place if were gone?..." Lord Cassius words became weaker and weaker as the crimson glow from behind the mask of the man grew brighter.

"Do you mean to oppose our Master, Lord Cassius?" The room seemed to lose its light as Lord Revan said those word.

"No! No! T-that's not it Lord Revan, I was merely..."

"You've grown conceited Cassius. Even if you were to leave this place, the Citadel of Airen will still stand as it had for the last thousand years. Do you think yourself a King because of the little power you have gained? Do you think yourself as our ruler just because you have been given the rule of this city? Then think again Shadow King Cassius. Choose your next words carefully because they might as well be your last."

Shadows danced as the room grew darker. It might have been a trick of the eye but they could see shadows enclosing over the entire room.

"Hiiiieee! No! Please forgive this ignorant one. I was insinuating nothing at all Lord Revan. I was merely jesting!"

What a pathetic coward... the servant thought as he felt a cold sweat running down his head.

The Lord who had been acting so arrogantly was reduced to stuttering mess in the presence of this man. There was no mistaking this man's identity. He was the famed Silent Blade, one of the only two Emperor's in the Shadow God Style.

"I would not expect you to have the courage to oppose our King. We will be departing tomorrow at dusk. I expect you to be ready by then." Lord Revan said curtly. There was a cold edge to his tone that was daring Lord Cassius if he would refuse again.

Lord Cassius nodded mutely.

"D-do you require anything else Lord Revan? Maybe wine or some companion for the night?..."

"Provide my men with warm meals and bread. That is all they require." Lord Revan replied with some distaste at Lord Cassius's words.

Lord Revan turned his gaze around the room.

The group departed at a signal from their leader. Lord Revan turned back to leave after delivering his short message. The dark which seemed like a mere illusion dispersed.

Once they were out of the door. Lord Cassius looked around him red-faced and humiliated. But what was more prominent was the distinct shaking of the man. It was no wonder of course. No normal person would be left unshaken after being the target of such a massive amount of killing intent.

"Get out! All of you! GET OUT YOU IMPUDENT TRASH!"

Everyone rushed out of the room in haste.

"You!" Lord Cassius stopped the servant who was the nearest to him before he could leave. "Pour me some more wine!"

"Yes my Lord." The servant bowed respectfully. But in his heart, the man laughed in contempt. What a coward...

He would serve the Lord his wine until he was content. Then after his shift he would go to the bar and tell the other's jokes about how this arrogant cur was reduced to a blabbering mess in front of Lord Revan. It would be hilarious! The servant kept a poker face as he served the obviously distraught Lord.

The servant's thoughts turned to something else. It was what he had heard from Lord Revan. For one of the most powerful person in the Crimson Rose to personally act as a messenger... There must be something important happening at the Capital. The servant poured wine to the distraught Lord subserviently.

The servant decided then and there that after his two year service, he would ask for a transfer from this place. He really just had the bad luck of picking the short end of the stick that was why he was stuck in this place. But still, the Lord Cassius who looked like he had bitten a lemon at the moment was an entertaining sight.

"That damned bitchy little prince! What does that spoiled brat want now!" Lord Cassius gritted his teeth in annoyance. His face turned sour as he said those words. His hands were shivering as tried to grip the cup harder.

The man snickered as he turned refill the wine bottle, it was a pain listening to this Lord's complaints.

How many more hours was his shift again? The servant sighed internally. He would just have to look forward to the end of his shift to make this job a little bit bearable.

* * *

-0-

Swift, decisive and aggressive. These were the core principles that defined the Sword God Style. 'To attack is to defend', they had taken this teaching to the extreme. In a sense, they were very much similar to the samurai of Shirou's world who specialized in the use of a thin, 'slender' swords.

Speed was their forte.

His own fighting styles were based around such principles that he was fascinated by it.

The complete disregard for his own safety in order to defeat the enemy. That was what made him so formidable, or so that was what he had heard others say about him. It confused him greatly why they would find such a thing impressive. Why shouldn't he fight with his all when it was required? Wasn't victory the very reason why people fought? Even now, the reason for people's reaction on his disregard for his own life eluded him.

A weapon was used to fight wasn't it? Why should it care if it broke? This line of thought had frustrated a lot of people over the course of his life.

Shirou watched as Eris tried her best to overcome Ghyslaine who was using one hand to fight. He could see the frustration building up on Eris.

"Eris, focus."

There was a rhythm to their movements. Ghyslaine was trying to teach Eris the Sword God Style by repeatedly drilling the girl into making the same attack movements over and over again. Eris didn't seem to notice, nor would she care even if she knew it.

Eris would try to attack Ghyslaine head on. Every now and then she would try to do something like sneak up behind her. But it was impossible. Not with that woman's uncanny senses.

A circle was drawn in the center of the clearing. There were two other circles inside of the circle. Ghyslaine was currently standing inside of one. About an hour had already passed yet Eris didn't seem to be making progress.

The frustration was obvious on her face.

But that wasn't true. Eris was improving. Her movements though slowing due to fatigue, were getting smoother. She was even able to predict and block correctly.

Shirou remembered his own training sessions with his former teachers. He winced from an imaginary pain. Back then, all they did was spar with him endlessly. It was the fastest way to improve. It was either that or he would need to train himself repeatedly for hours each day with little to no obvious improvement. Having an opponent drastically improved his abilities. That and it also tired him until he was unable to move.

He smiled with sweet nostalgia.

In time he had been able to improve, one by one he surpassed them... But there were people he had never been able to defeat as a swordsman even to this day. One such person was a certain blonde knight. It had been a difference between talent, compatibility, experience and skill. Maybe even luck was added to that equation.

"Let's take a break." Ghyslaine gestured towards the shade.

He had already finished his physical exercises for the day. His shirt that was soaked with sweat earlier had already dried a bit. He was currently doings some breathing exercises. They helped a lot especially with his fighting style.

"But I can still fight!" Eris really was stubborn when she wanted to be.

"It's not a matter of if you can still go on or not, it's a matter of getting your body used to this sort training."

Eris nodded dejectedly.

"Don't worry Eris, you're learning fast. It's only a matter of experience."

"Eh? Really? I-I mean, of course! One day I'll even be able to beat you Shirou!"

"Yes, yes. Now here's a towel." He patted the girl on the head. It was hard with Eris being taller.

"H-hey! Stop treating me like a kid Shirou!"

"But you are..."

Shirou closed his mouth with a click when Eris glared at him. He slowly retreated not wanting to anger the girl any further.

What was it with stubborn girls and nasty tempers?

"Isn't there anything else I can do to get better sensei?" Eris asked.

"This is the fastest way to get better. Well, there is another way but... it's too dangerous for you."

"What is it? Even if it's dangerous, shouldn't I at least try it first?"

He could see Ghyslaine rubbing her temples.

"The fastest method to learn is to put your life on the line, you'll need to gamble with your life a battlefield. I don't think you're ready for that Eris."

"Oh..."

"Don't worry too much about it Eris. All swordsmen began at this level before they reached where they are now. Even Ghyslaine wasn't this good when she was your age." Shirou smiled trying to comfort the girl.

"HEY! How'd you know that!?"

Shirou waved off Ghyslaine who didn't even deny the statement.

"Besides, why do you want to become stronger so suddenly..."

It was either the heat was getting to her or she was embarrassed to answer the question. Eris cheeks were stained with a tinge of red.

"I don't have any reason at all! I just want to get stronger so I can beat you up!"

"Oh really?" Now he was poking the angry bear.

"Shirou~... would you please stay still there for just a minute?"

He instinctively backpedalled from the all too sweet voice. Wait! Where'd she learn how to do that!? Shirou could only think of one person who ever had this ability in this world. It was the ability to make Shirou, the unyielding Hero who even fought against a god without backing down cower in fear.

Chloe! What are you trying to teach this girl!?

Eventually, Shirou took his punishment like a real man he was... or not. He ran. Why would he stay still when an angry Asura was on his trail and out for his blood? Oh hell no, he was no masochist.

"Hey! Get back here! SHIROU!"

He laughed as Eris tried to swing her sword at him.

They passed by the patrol who were guarding the village. Shirou waved at the villagers who called out to him. Shirou opened the gate to his home. He went straight to the shade of a tree that was in their yard.

How long had it been since he was allowed to be this carefree? Everything felt lighter. He laid himself down on the grass as he waited for Eris. She'd know where he was. He stared up at the wide blue skies. It was a beautiful sight to behold. This was a world untainted by the destructive tendencies of man. This was a world which took the path of magic rather than technological advancement.

He remembered the world he came from. Technology had advance to such levels that he sometimes wondered whether humanity really had any limits. But the price paid was too steep. In the world he came from, cities needed to build machines to keep the air clean. Forests were rare and places where one could find pure and clean water was rarer.

Maybe that was one of the reasons that the Will of the Planet had tried so hard to eradicate humanity. Maybe that was the reason Gaia was desperate enough to awake something more powerful than itself just so that it could destroy humanity? Because humans were destroying the planet...

The wind blew softly as he laid there on his back.

The peaceful environment was enough for him to loosen his guard. Without realizing it, his eyes grew heavier with each wave of the breeze.

He slept.

* * *

-0-

With a soft melodious tone, Chloe hummed to herself. She was finished with the laundry and was currently putting out the clothes to dry. She immediately noticed the two huddled forms who were asleep under a tree. She approached quietly as not to wake them up.

Eris was using Shirou's arm as a pillow. How cute. She giggled to herself. What an adorable pair. If only she was a painter, she would have loved to paint this scene. It was the only time she had ever seen Shirou so 'unguarded'.

Even now, Shirou's emotions all looked faked. It was like he was trying to impersonate people when he acted that way... She knew because she used to act that way.

That was back when she had nothing else but next battle to look forward to...

This made her happy. Shirou should act more like a child his age. He should not be playing with real steel blades. It was because of that Revan that he was like this. Or so that was what she would want to think. But Shirou's confession a while back made her think otherwise.

Still, she would blame Revan for this. That impertinent man, who did he think he was?

She returned back to her work. She wasn't always this good with housework. In the beginning, everything she did was a disaster. She and Celeste had been frantically trying to learn how to take care of a baby Shirou. They were lucky that they found a maid who had temporarily taken care of Shirou. If it wasn't for that maid, only the Gods knew how they could have made it through.

It was also from that woman that she had learned how to do housework. How was that woman doing now? She hoped she was alright.

"Hmm?" She looked towards the gate.

She approached the man who was hesitant if he wanted to call out to her.

"What is it? How can I help you?" She smiled cheerfully.

"Uhm, is Captain Celeste here? We would like to ask for her help."

"Is there a problem? What would you need her help for?"

"I'm sorry Miss... but can you tell the Captain to get to the village gates. There are some refugees from down south. They said that they are from Buina."

Refugees?

"Alright. She'll be there in a few minutes."

"Thank you Miss." The man bowed politely before leaving.

What did they mean refugees? She bit her lip in thought. It was the goblin warband. But the scout reports said they were coming from Northwest? How? She shook her head.

She'd have some time for thinking about this later.

She rushed up the stairs to Celeste's room.

Celeste calmly looked towards her when she barged into her makeshift office.

"We have a problem. There seem to some refugees from the south. Probably a goblin raid. It would be better if you talk to the refugees themselves. It would be best if you convince them to stay here for now."

She could see the tired expression on Celeste's face.

"I'll be there." Celeste solemnly donned a cloak as she murmured to herself. "But how are we going to house those people... Even if they go to Roa... it's too dangerous. The Knights of Fedoa have still to send a confirmation if they've cleaned up the route to the city."

Celeste looked towards as if to ask her something. She already knew what she wanted to say.

"I'll take care of the Master. Go take care of that problem." Celeste nodded thankfully.

"I don't think I'll be back by dinner. I'll be at the village hall if you need me."

Chloe watched as she hastily made her way to the village gates.

She sighed. Hopefully the goblins wouldn't dare attack here again. With some help from the Fedoan Territorial Army, they had been able to erect a wall around the village in such a short time.

The watchtower had also been improved as to enable the patrols to see further with how high the tower had gotten.

She unconsciously licked her lips at the thought of battle.

Hmm? Damn built up stress. She needed to find something else to occupy her mind.

She made her way downstairs. Teasing Shirou was always a good way to relieve some stress. It was also fun. It would be good to invite Eris to dinner again. She nodded to herself.

Ghyslaine would probably be there as well.

Since Lord Sauros left for Roa, he had left Ghyslaine with Eris. There was also an unspoken agreement for them to watch over Eris as well.

Eris... that girl would be good for Shirou. Even their character were compatible. Shirou was a bit too passive, calm and mature for a child his age. Eris... Eris was a turbulent aggressive hurricane that did whatever she wanted. She was also likely the type to be easily swayed by her emotions.

She had heard Eris talk with Ghyslaine. The girl wanted to become stronger. If she wanted to be friends with Shirou, then she had to at least be able to stay by his side without being a burden. That was what the girl said. It so sweet of her! Ahh, young love.

Maybe she could also teach Eris a thing or two? Most of the techniques she used would be compatible with Eris.

She never was conventional user of the Shadow God Style. The reason she would never reach the level of a God in the Shadow God Style was because of her character and attitude towards battle. The Shadow God Style relied on one hit kill techniques. If the first technique they used didn't succeed, they would use a higher one. But if they still hadn't won, then it was impossible for them to win.

Shadow God Style users relied on insane bursts of attack. Those attacks usually drained a person of his/her touki, or fighting spirit. The only person she ever knew who could use technique after technique without tiring was Alicia. Shadow God Style's weakness was that they would never last long against an enemy who had more stamina and touki than them, but they could easily defeat an enemy who was on their level or below them.

A talented Shadow God Style user would be able to defeat an enemy who was a level above them. A genius like Alicia... she had been able to defeat the former leader of the Crimson Rose who was at the level of a God even when she was still at the level of a King. That was two levels above her. Calling Alicia a genius was like saying the sky was wide.

If there ever was a person who could be called perfect, it would only be her. She was perfection in human form. A person who was blessed by the higher Gods in every way.

The gap between a Saint and a King was massive but the gap between a King and an Emperor was larger than even that. The level of the beings called Gods? They were monstrosities who were no longer human. It was normally impossible for even ten Emperors to bring down a God.

That was why Chloe always wondered what had happened to their former leader. If what Celeste said was true, then the battle between Alicia and whoever had attacked them would have destroyed the capital city of Asura.

A battle between Gods could change the very landscape.

Ugh, her head hurt thinking about such hard things. This wasn't for her to think about. It was Celeste's job to solve such things.

She returned to humming softly as she thought what she would prepare for dinner. Maybe after dinner she'd invite Eris and Ghyslaine to take a bath with her. During that time maybe she could ask Eris if she wanted to learn from her. It would be hard to convince her though that she would be able to teach her anything.

Hmm? Maybe a bit of demonstration of power would do? That would be far easier than trying to convince the girl that she was the former Bloody Princess.

* * *

-0-

Battle plans, organizing the refuges, filing a report and sending it to Roa, requesting further Knight Patrols in the area...

Celeste was knee deep in work. Those damned goblins were adding to her headache! She almost wished that they would attack this village just so that she could take out her anger on them. She was lucky that Revan had lessened the work that was being sent to her from the Capital. At least she was able to get some sleep.

She was currently at the village hall looking over the settlement of some of the refugees.

She felt someone looking at her. She turned her gaze to find a girl about Shirou's age staring up at her. It was one of the refugee's children. She hesitantly lowered herself to talk to the child. No one seemed to be looking after her. The girl had brown hair that would look like it was blonde under a different light and bright green eyes.

"Hello? What's your name?"

The girl's gaze was so intense was so intense it was a little unnerving.

"I'm Asturia, Asturia Greyrat. Neh? Are you an elf _Nee-chan_?"

Was the girl staring at her breasts or her ears? It felt like the gaze of nobles from the Capital, lecherous and vulgar gazes that made her feel she was being stripped naked.

"Well, you can call me an elf... Where are your parents Asturia? Don't you have anyone else with you?"

"Father is with the other villagers who are still left behind at the village. Mother is with her too, even Lilia. They said they would come for us when it was safer." The girl said innocently.

Celeste looked around while shifting uncomfortable. It may seem harsh, but she needed to find a poor soul to chuck this kid on. The girl's eyes were roaming her body appreciatively which made her more wary.

Just as she was about to leave, a voice shouted from behind her.

Chloe entered the room while holding a pot bundled in cloth.

"Celeste, I brought you your dinner!~"

Several people greeted the woman. She replied back in her ever cheerful manner.

"Chloe, how is the young Master?"

"Oh, Shirou is asleep. Don't worry, Ghyslaine is with them. Eris insisted on sleeping over. Hmm? Who's this?" Chloe looked at the girl who was staring at both her and Celeste while seemingly contemplating the mysteries of the world.

"Hmm... a busty cheerful maid _Onee-chan_ or the cool rational _Nee-chan_... Gufufufufu..." Those words were whispered under her breath. For the first time in her life, Celeste regretted having elven ears. Why did she have to hear that!? It was just plainly disturbing!

Shivers of fear ran down her spine. It was not the fear of death, it was the fear for her purity.

"U-uhm Chloe, can you please take care of this child while I go eat?" Chloe tilted her head to the right.

Celeste thanked whatever higher beings were out there that Chloe was sometimes this gullible. She apologized to Chloe in her mind.

"It's no problem. Here, it's still hot so you should be careful." Chloe handed knot on the cloth.

She hastily made her escape before Chloe changed her mind.

It was later the next morning that she regretted what she did.

* * *

-0-

Over the course of his life, Shirou had learned over a hundred different swords styles. This feat would have been impossible for any normal human. But Shirou wasn't exactly normal.

His ability that enabled him to 'read' blades had helped greatly in this matter. All the memories of this sword styles and techniques had been stored in a single formless blade.

He reached into his soul to grasp that blade. This time, the formless blade was a sheathed nodachi.

He took a stance placing the sword in an upright position beside and over his head. What made this more unusual was the reverse grip that he held the sword with his left hand. This was just one of those techniques of Ittoryu.

The person he learned it from called it Ittoryu which literally meant 'One Sword/Blade Style'.

In one fluid motion, he had unsheathed the sword, attacked and resheathed it.

" _Ittoryu Iai: Shishi Sonson_."

In his world's language, it meant 'One Sword/Blade Style Re-sheath: Lion's Song'. This technique was usually performed while listening to his enemy's breathing, and he usually performed this as a counter attack against heavily armored enemies.

He allowed the blade to dissolve.

Once again, he reached into his armory to grasp that formless blade. This was an exercise that refreshed his memories of all the styles he had ever seen. Unlike the Emiya Shirou of other realities who traced the blades in order to 'remember' the blade itself, he had taken a step further by tracing blades and training with the memories of the previous wielders in his mind.

This was already his thirty seventh blade this morning. He would stop within the fiftieth.

He was about to trace the blade when he noticed someone approaching. The bounded field he had set over their backyard rang like an alarm in his head. He stopped to look at the intruder.

He was momentarily stunned before he looked at her further. It was a girl with brown hair and emerald green eyes. She had almost mistaken her for someone else. The morning sun was shining on the girl's hair making it look like it was a golden yellow.

"Who are you?" Shirou stared at the girl for moment. She had come from the direction of the house.

"Eh? I'm sorry I was just looking for a place to pee..." She answered while holding her crotch.

Shouldn't girls be a little more sensitive over this matters?

"Oh, there's a bush further up ahead..."

"Thanks! Sorry 'bout that!" The girl shouted while rushing past him. What an odd girl. Weeelllll, not that he was one to talk.

The girl returned with obvious relief on her face.

"Ahhh... that felt better. So, what are you doing out here? Er- my name is Asturia by the way." The girl stated awkwardly.

Arturia? His brain registered.

"Arturia, I'm Shirou."

"No, not Arturia, Asturia! Wait... your name is Shirou?" The girl was looking at him strangely.

"Yes, that's what they call me..."

"What an odd name you have there. But what are doing here Shirou?"

Please don't call it odd. It isn't his problem that his was name like that. Somehow, he felt that _Gilgamesh_ had something to do with it. Somehow... He just couldn't shake off the gut feeling. He could be wrong though.

"I was practicing." Until you barged in.

"What were you practicing?" The girl asked curiously. It was a bit really was unusual

Shirou subtly traced a wooden sword behind his back and grasped it with one hand.

"With a sword..." Well he wasn't lying there. He had been practicing with blades.

"Oh... then good luck with that." The girl left without another word. Shirou waited until she was outside the barrier before he went back to his exercises.

He was not expecting to meet her the weird girl again. But here she was eating breakfast in front of him while staring at Chloe. She wasn't being discreet about it, but Shirou noticed the girl's eyes at they followed the movements of a certain part of a Chloe's body.

 _Boing boing_.

Was that what she was staring at? Yes, it was. Shirou watched from the corner of his eyes as the girl's eyes followed those bouncy movements.

"Ow... what was that for Eris?" That was, until Eris bopped him on the head.

"Nothing." The girl looked away with 'hmmp' while puffing her cheeks.

Even Celeste was acting strangely with how she was staring at the girl with revulsion.

Maybe it was an elf thing? Or maybe just a girl thing. Because if it was, it would be better for his sanity to ignore it. Women were just plain confusing at times. They said one thing while doing the opposite.

"Shirou~, here's yours." Chloe placed a plate in front of him.

He ate the food while trying his best to ignore the building tension in the room. He was hoping either Ghyslaine or Roxy would show so that they could dispel it.

It was at this moment that by the Root, his prayers were answered somehow.

Roxy entered the room still in her sleepwear with half-lidded eyes. She took the sit on Shirou's right while Eris was on his left.

"Good morning Shirou... Eris, Chloe, Celeste..."

"Good morning _Sensei_."

He noticed the girl's eyes switching from Chloe to Roxy.

"Have you been up again all night?"

Roxy muttered something under her breath.

"... I was doing some research." Roxy yawned cutely while saying this. He continued on his meal while trying to ignore the girls pained gaze. Somehow, this didn't dispel the tension. It worsened it.

This was when Ghyslaine made her entrance.

"Hmm? What's wrong here?" She looked at Eris, Shirou, then at Asturia. She must have misunderstood something because she sat next to Eris and whispered something not so subtly in her ear.

"So... how was your _first_ time in bed with Shirou?" Okay... that was pushing it. Ghyslaine just had to start teasing them in front of the weird girl.

They heard a clang as a spoon was dropped to the floor. The girl was looking at everyone as if realizing something for the first time. Then with a voice that could rival Eris's, she shouted something so inconceivable that Shirou would not be able to move for an hour.

"Go explode you fucking _RIAJUUUUUuuuuu_!" The girl wailed as she fled from the room.

Chloe voiced what they all thought of at that moment.

"What just happened?"

* * *

-0-

Something was different.

For a being who had lived continuously for a single purpose, for someone who had witnessed, felt, and experienced more than two hundred thousand repetitions of the same world; he felt it. The world felt... alive.

He had known it when he had awoken in this world a few hundred years ago.

Questions had piled up in his mind. There was something lurking beneath the surface of this world that wasn't there before. It was not as powerful as him, but still...

The Dragon God marched on.

If it would not interfere with his task, then it would not matter to him for now. He was going north towards Asura. Monsters had been spawning at an astounding rate there lately. In that kingdom, there was someone of great importance to the future that he must protect. There was also something else he needed to find the answers to.

The road was silent. Nothing but the sound of his footsteps could be heard. No creature, human nor beast would dare approach him. It was his curse, a powerful spell that had been cast upon him in order to obtain more power.

The curse would have been a convenient if only he could control it. But it was indiscriminate in its effects. Everyone and everything _feared_ him. The only exceptions were those who were blessed by his enemy, the Human God. But a hundred years ago, he had encountered a beast that did not fear him because of his curse.

It was a fascinating beast. It was a hydra. Normally, a hydras power grew in proportion with the numbers of heads it had. But there was a vast difference between an eight headed hydra and a nine headed one. It was no mere question of doubling their strength and size, it would take ten eight head hydras to even be a match against a nine headed one.

What he had encountered was not the legendary nine headed hydra, but something more. It was a thirteen headed hydra. A monster that had swallowed whole an entire village. The creature was capable of more than that. How the creature came to be was something he did not yet have the answer to. That creature had been an anomaly. Even during the ancient Era of Chaos, there had been no such creatures.

It had taken a little bit of effort to slay that beast and what he had found within that beasts core might be an answer to how it came to be. The hydras crystalized core contained a mysterious shard of power. And within that shard, there was a portion of the soul of a Primordial God.

The Ancient Dragon Tribe had records of how the world was created. According to the records, a Primordial God must offer its power in order for a world to be made. But if that God died, then the world would cease to exist. It was how the original Demon World was destroyed.

So where did this hard come from?

He had yet to find the answers to those questions.

A few weeks ago, he had felt a surge of power from this place. It was not a specific place but he had felt the general direction that the surge had come from, the Kingdom of Asura.

The power felt different. He had never felt anything like it. It was only from his [Inherited Memories] that he could find anything similar to it.

He would have to make a small detour to find the source of it. If it was a hindrance to him, he would destroy it. That was all there was to it.

The wind grew colder as he trudged towards the north. Hopefully he would not be too late, if the source of that power had moved on. Then he would have no choice but to abandon his search.

* * *

-0-

 **A.N.**

The Red Dragon Mountain Range... I forgot what its real origin was from canon so I made something up. And that first scene made me cringe a little. It's was my first attempt at trying to write on third person perspective but it failed spectacularly. I jumped to second person P.O.V. immediately midway, lol. Gahahaha. Damn, I was too lazy to rewrite that mess so I'll just have to say I don't think I'll ever be trying that again anytime soon.

Anyway, I thought out three key points for this story. I'll call these earlier chapters the 'Past' arc. Then there's the 'Present' arc or the 'War' arc. Well, the final arc would obviously have the 'Future' as its theme. I'm too lazy to explain cause you'll read about it anyway. Hehe.

Anything else... oh right. In the LN, they apparently used Japanese style honorifics and all. I forgot that part that's why I'm tryin' to somehow add it? Dunno how it'll work it. Meh. I'll just wing it somehow. I've been using the word 'sensei' till now cause it just sounded odd when I tried using 'teacher'.

Also, about this chapter... I guess I've been reading too much 'slice of life' LN's lately... Sorry about that. I'll try to advance the story plot on the next chapters.

-Sorry, but I femGil won't be showing up. Probably a few scenes from the past but not in the current timeline...

-Yandere character huh?... don't know but I think the character I'll be introducing on chapter 9 or so is a yandere...

Please leave a review or something. Tell me what you think?


	7. Seventh Step

Note:

Hahhh...

Okay. Let me say this again just once. It annoys me to even have the need to write this but I need to say it.

I write because it's fun. I've mentioned this already but I said in my previous Author Notes that I'll be changing a few things from Mushoku Tensei. Maybe it was my fault for not putting the (AU) tag? Maybe. But I did mention that Shirou was not from any of the routes. No, maybe that was my fault again. I should have been more specific.

Point is, I make mistakes. I'm human, you're human... maybe you're Rambo for all I care you could even be a potato! Lol. Hahaha. Lame joke there. Anyway, to make things clear this isn't a serious fic. Even Shirou is different from canon Shirou. He has a different back story. So fucking different he might as well be an OC! Or so I would say if I was being harsh with myself.

I'm writing this story for the fun of it. So please don't be too critical even if you're a coward who hides behind the guise of anonymity. I won't stoop so low as to 'insult' those people who just don't have the mind to read the Author Notes I write then point out the same mistakes I mentioned on those same Notes. It's fckin hilarious.

I'm not discouraging criticism with hard proof of my mistake. Like those readers who point out my grammar and spelling mistakes. I appreciate them and grateful for those corrections. Maybe mention things like, this chapter has too much info dump, you got a plot hole here, this character is being inconsistent with his/her previously portrayed character. Things like that. But please refrain from doing the thing I mentioned above. Well, I think that's all. Damn, I got drained just trying to write this note. My motivation bar was spent. Lol.

Also, I might raise the rating to M. I'm too lazy to put up a poll so can you review or something if you agree or not with the decision?

Hope you enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but this story's plot.

* * *

 **Chapter 6(Childhood): Departure**

-0-

Murmurs of prayer echoed within the hallowed halls. Robed men and women kneeled together as they prayed to their Saint. In front of them, the High Priest preceded over the mass. This was in celebration of the day that Saint Milis ascended to the realm of the Gods. Saint Milis was their God.

Such was their devotion that they named their nation after their God. The Holy Kingdom of Milis was the second most powerful human nation in the world. Their Kingdom was located to the south, the bridge between the Demon Continent located in the east and the largely human populated western continent, also known as the Central Continent.

Candles lit the hall, and light from the glass windows above filled the room. Hymns were sung, prayers were said and the Holy verses were read.

A young girl of about ten years old gasp in discomfort in her chair. Her head pounded like a drum. Mana exuded from her body.

Everything hurt. The girl wondered as she fell to her knees. She felt a burning pain in her chest as fire seemingly erupted within her. Visions started to fill her eyes. She knew of things that was, were, and will be.

Were these visions of the past? Or was it a glimpse of what was to come?

People called it a blessing, she called it a curse.

The girl who was hailed as the Holy Maiden of Milishion writhed in pain. People reeled about her in panic as they tried to comfort her.

They were within the Church's inner sanctum. There was nothing they could do but try to relieve the girl's pain. The High Priest only watched on with anticipation at what was happening. Many knew of what was happening. It was another Oracle.

The girl before them had once predicted the flood of the river Eustane. She had foreseen the disaster of Forul. She had glimpsed the future of Milishion five years from then. All that came from her were proven true, lives which should have been lost were saved, calamities were averted.

She was known as the messenger of Milis. Light gathered around the girl. People said that an angel of God spoke through her.

Miko, that was what they called them. People who had supernatural abilities gifted to them by God. Because where else could such a blessing come from but from God?

The girl was named Miko, after the name that people called them by.

She had an unusual ability. She was able to see a person past or future by looking at a person in the eyes. But she needed to know what she was looking for in order for her ability to function. The more specific it was, the easier the strain was for her.

For example, if she needed to find if a person was innocent of a certain crime. She must first know what the crime was about. Then she would search the person's mind for traces of it. She could also use it to ascertain lies, which was what she had the most experience with.

Her ability was almost akin to mind reading.

That was the reason why she remained isolated in a chair at the front of the congregation. Nobody wanted to look her in the eye in fear exposing their darkest secrets. Everyone had something to hide. Everything would be laid bare before here, if she only looked for it.

But at certain times, she would be able to get a glimpse of the past or the future of the world. The conditions for her to achieve this was yet unknown. There were no specific conditions nor circumstances for her ability to manifest. Her greatest ability, the ability that earned her great renown over all of Milishion was the ability to look into the past or the future of the World itself.

A prophet they called her. They hailed her as the second coming of the Saint Milis. Even now, there was already a faction within Milishion forming around the girl. A faction that had all kinds of people within it. Some wished to use the girl as figurehead and rule behind her. Some wished to follow her only because it would benefit their cause. Yet still, there others who followed her because they believed she really was to become a Saint like Milis.

There were even those who saw her as a God. How could they not? She was able to see the future. The ignorant masses worshipped her as all-knowing. She was omniscient. She could learn of the past and of the future. But there were things humans could not change even with all their power.

So, it was easily noticed when she started wheezing loudly. It was followed by her collapsing on the floor. Multiple of her followers immediately reacted by calling the healers. Panic beset them as they tried to do something to ease her of the pain.

Light engulfed the maiden lifting her into the air momentarily. As if possessed she spoke as visions flooded her mind.

 _An army of thousands stood against the vast legion of monsters. Humans, demons, beastkin and a hundred other races were gathered under a single banner against a common enemy. They fought against impossible odds. But it was a struggle in futility. The sheer numbers overwhelmed them. Their banners were broken, their weapons shattered and their remains dismembered._

 _All the seven races would stand at the brink of extinction._

 _To the east, a bastion of humanity stood. The gray citadel, the mighty fortress wherein dwelled the Rose. Upon a throne, he slept. The gatekeeper, he who held the key, the answers to these visions._

 _Kingdoms would be devoured, nations would be eradicated and the very earth would be laid desolate. It would be the rebirth of the Age of Chaos. But against great adversity, Heroes would arise._

 _ **"Gather forth the seven Champions**_

 _ **Lo, the first, the Sword of Humanity**_

 _ **the pillar unto which lay our hopes,**_

 _ **His weakness was Acedia, stagnation."**_

 _Far to the west, a lone wanderer roamed the barren wastelands. Searching for salvation for a sin which he would carry till his demise. He was once the leader of a proud and noble people, warriors of few equal. But they were betrayed and even now, the world views them as evil incarnate._

 _The innocent would be slaughtered. People would cry out to the Gods but their prayers would remain unanswered. It would be known as the darkest era. But the beacons of light known as Heroes would shine ever brighter amidst the ruined land._

 _ **"Of the Demonkind's peerless Spear**_

 _ **the restless eternal wanderer**_

 _ **Carrying the burden of his peoples**_

 _ **He who lost once lost to Superbia."**_

 _From the north, that perilous land of great dangers. A girl was born, the daughter of a slave. Garbed in rags and bound in chains, she was born knowing nothing but and hardships. Why would one such as her, choose to risk her life for people who done nothing for her?_

 _Even her fellow slaves pitied her. A 'half-breed' demon, they would call her. Her delicate obsidian wings wrapped around her protecting herself from those who would seek to harm her._

 _Monster which had kept themselves hidden in the depths of the earths would once again see the light of day. The mindless corrupted dragons of old whose wings could eclipse a city, they would seek flight once more to devour and wrought destruction._

 _ **"The bloody Scythe of the Sky**_

 _ **None but her King may tame her**_

 _ **Her strength would know no equal**_

 _ **But Luxuria shall be her downfall."**_

 _The Great Forests of the south burned. Nothing but embers remained as the conflagration spread through the forest. The once beautiful evergreen vegetation was no more, in its place charcoal and ashes remained. The proud Beastkin were no match against the numberless host of monsters._

 _Many would weep and grieve the loss of their home. It drove some of them to insanity. Amongst this people, there was one among them whose mind was broken beyond redemption that they would no longer recognize her._

 _ **"Oh infernal Hammer of the Beastkin**_

 _ **She who was broken and remade**_

 _ **Even thy allies will fear thee**_

 _ **Beloved daughter of the insatiable Gula."**_

 _Deep within the waters of the nameless seas, even the Ocean race would not escape from these forces. Beware, Leviathan awakens from its slumber. The krakens would overrun their domain. None were exempt from the purge of all that lived._

 _From the waters, they would seek refuge towards land. A descendant of this sea-dwellers would one day take up an ancient relic of the past. He would gain fame and glory for his people. Armed with his ancestor's greatest treasure, he would be lead his people back to their homes one day._

 _ **"Wielder of the Bow of the Ocean**_

 _ **Thy aim is true and thy path is right**_

 _ **But thou beware of thy affliction**_

 _ **Invidia shalt blind you from your goal"**_

 _A thousand millennia have passed since the ancient era, a race thought extinct would once more flourish. The sentient Dragon race who had protected all of the six races during their infancy. They would flourish once more with a hatchling's birth._

 _Within the heart of a dungeon, a nameless relic broke. Within that relic was an egg, moments later it would hatch. The cursed dungeon would identify it as an enemy. Monsters spawned to rid the dungeon of the perceived intruder. A small weak humanoid dragon was born. It stared at the monsters that advanced upon it._

 _With its unnatural instincts, the young hatchling knew it was in danger. One could only guess at the outcome, the young hatchling destroyed the monsters with the same ease as breathing. A young dragon is still a dragon. Few are its equal's even from birth._

 _ **"Guardian of the Dragon's Glaive**_

 _ **From birth, thou art powerful**_

 _ **As an elder, thou shalt be peerless**_

 _ **But in thy blood still runs Avaritia's curse."**_

The girl collapse on the floor as if the strings that held her in the air were cut. Paladins surrounded her as healers took care of her. Her breathing was heavy and labored. She attempted to speak even with the pain she was suffering.

"Let her up. Allow her to speak." The High Priest intoned.

The healers complied.

"Speak child, what is it you wish to tell us.

" _ **He who hold the Staff of Wisdom**_

 _ **Born from the miracle of a prayer**_

 _ **Thy choices shall dictate this world's fate**_

 _ **But thou beware of mindless Ira."**_

With those words, the girl finally fainted.

How long had she slept? She wondered. Sounds buzzed around as her consciousness returned. She allowed herself to open her eyes. Slowly, she woke up from her slumber.

Healers were quietly attending to her. None of them dared to meet her eyes.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Lady Miko. Please don't push yourself, you are still recovering from overusing your power. The healers say that you will heal with a bit of rest." A young woman clad in light armor admonished her. She smiled lightly at the woman.

"I am alright Therese. What happened earlier?" She asked again.

"Do you not remember?"

Flashes and glimpse returned to her. That's right. She saw a vision, a vision of the world ending. The last thing she could remember was the sight of a young woman with golden brown hair and green eyes holding her staff high as she obliterated an army of monsters with but a simple gesture.

The ease with how the woman crushed a force that could equal an army astounded her.

Usually, she did not know if what she saw was from the past or the future with the randomness of the vision. She was not sure. More often, when she used her abilities actively, she was able to determine if the visions she saw was of the past or the future because she was able to witness it from her target's perspectives. There were nuances and telltales if what she was seeing was a memory or something that was yet to happen.

She felt her body shivering as she remembered the vision. It was a vision of the future. This time she was sure of it. She had seen an older version of Therese talking with the young woman with emerald eyes, the woman who had represented the Staff.

Was Therese related to that green-eyed woman in anyway? She did not know. But she wanted to know. She wanted to ask Therese to look her in the eye. She had never used her ability on Therese out of respect to her devotion. She _had_ accidentally caught glimpses of the woman named Therese Latreia. She was a trustworthy and noble person.

So, she did not want to betray her by doing something as looking at her past or future without consent. She did not want to lose the only person she could call a friend. Even now, few were able to approach her without either fear or reverence in their eyes.

 _Asura._

The name called to her. That's right. Three of those Heroes were to gather in Asura.

"Therese, can you please call arrange a meeting with the Pope for me. I would like to ask him for a favor."

Therese scowled as she heard the order.

"Lady Miko, you shouldn't take those words lightly. Something like a simple favor from that man might put us in a great disadvantage. Favors for someone like you aren't to be taken lightly. Can you not disclose it to me first? Maybe I can arrange something for it to be done somehow..."

Therese closed her mouth because of the girl's intense gaze.

"I must go to Asura. I need to know what's going to happen. Someone in there holds the answers."

'The answer to what?' That was what Therese's face was telling her. She was curious but her mind was dwelling on the more important matter.

Miko waited for a favorable response from Therese. She did not want to inconvenience the young woman but just for once, just for now. She needed to go there. She knew she would never have a moment of peace unless she learned the answer to the multitude of questions she had.

For this, she needed to ask the Pope for a favor.

Milis was ruled by the three factions.

The Order of Instruction which was composed of a majority of the general populace.

The Order of the Temple which was consisted of the majority of the older noble families.

Lastly, there was the Order of the Church which had the royalty as its head. The last Order was the smallest yet the most powerful Order in Milis. The Order of the Church was also known to take a neutral stance and was the faction that balanced the opposing Order of Instruction and Order of the Temple.

To put it shortly, they were the Instruction, the Temple and the Church.

Though she was a member of the Temple, Miko still needed the permission of the Pope who was a member of the Instruction to be able to get out of the country. It was a simple matter negotiating with the Order of the Church once the Instruction stopped blatantly opposing them.

She needed the clearance and agreement of all three Orders.

It was times like this that Miko resented having fame she did not ask for. She was simply too important to Milis to be allowed anywhere outside of the country without a legion of elite Paladins and Inquisitors to protect her. Such a force was quite sizable for a simple escort. But such was the fame and importance of the girl hailed as the 'Oracle of Milis'.

"My Lady..." Therese sighed, as he gave up. "If that's what you want. Then you'll have to agree that I accompany you."

"Thank you, Therese."

"You're not giving me a choice are you, Lady Miko?" Therese smiled wryly.

Miko could only bow her head. Therese sighed in defeat.

"If you are really intent on doing this, I want to go with you. As the appointed Captain of your guards, it is my responsibility to protect and guide you."

"Ah, you also want to visit your sister, don't you?"

"Well, there's also that..." Therese said as she leaned on her left foot while crossing her arms. "I've nearly forgotten until you told me. Wait! It's a bad manner peeking on other people's private matters Lady Miko... even mother didn't know of that letter how'd you get a hint of it?"

"One of the guards was talking enthusiastically of a messenger arriving and giving you a letter yesterday. Rumors were even spreading around that it was from a secret lover. I'm sorry, but I was just curious to what it was..." Though her tone was apologetic, Therese knew this wasn't going to be the last time this would happen. Miko knew her too well and Therese also trusted her too not reveal such things even if she knew them.

"Then I guess we have an agreement?"

"I just hope nothing happens on our trip..." Therese rubbed her forehead as she felt the impending headache.

The girl opened her mouth wanting to contradict the statement, something was going to happen on the trip. Her eyes widened momentarily as she looked at Therese's eyes. Her ability had activated unconsciously again. Something that was going to happen in the future... a vision of such things flashed before her.

After the vision dispelled, her mind was able to make a sense of what she saw and she was struck by clarity and realization.

So that's how it was. Therese _was_ related to the symbol of the Staff. Therese was the aunt of that green eyed young woman. Or wasn't the woman still a girl?

She hummed to herself. She did not have to say anything for now. Knowledge was power, she had learned from an early age how vile humans were. She knew secrets that could easily destroy the lives of many people. Yet, she did not disclose any of these secrets to anyone. Milis teachings taught that one should have a compassionate heart to teach the sinners of their mistakes and correct them.

She was a devout believer in the good of humanity even with what she saw. No, it was because of what she saw that she wanted to give them a chance. Many were forced to do evil deeds because of circumstances beyond their control. Shouldn't she, a follower of the faith, have greater heart for forgiveness and compassion because of that?

One could say she was wise beyond her years. But wasn't this just because of what she saw?

Lies and deceit were common among the holy servants of the church. This was not what she had wanted when she volunteered to serve Milis. This was not what she had expected. But one can only deal with what lot they have in life. As much as she saw deceit and cruel hearts, she had also seen people who were pure and naive.

All humans had varying characters, dreams and desires. There was good as there was evil.

She wondered. What was the seventh Hero like? She was girl who followed her heart and allowed her emotions to dictate her actions. Yet, that girl was happy. Miko envied the green-eyed girl. She envied those Heroes. She envied them all. They suffered and would suffer again, they struggled and would struggle further, and they achieved countless victories against various adversaries.

They were powerful. They were able to _'defy fate'_. They were able to alter destiny that even the Gods could not. Maybe... just maybe... she could ask one of them to save her. Any of them... but one person in particular stood out, the crimson haired warrior who would lead those vaunted heroes...

She was Miko, a girl who could see the future. She had seen her future.

* * *

-0-

The messenger bowed respectfully as he gave the letter. Celeste broke the royal seal and started to read the message immediately. She grimaced. This was still within the scope of her predictions. She steadied her breathing. They had at most a week before they would depart for Arusu, to the Royal Court.

"Celeste, what is it?" Shirou asked curiously. Beside him was the red headed girl, Eris.

"J-just something for me to deal with Master. We'll be talking about it later after dinner. I would like you to go wash yourself. Ah, also, can you go look for Asturia? I want you to talk to her. If you did something wrong then apologize. She seems to be avoiding you because of something."

"Eh... okay. You can go ahead Eris. I'll go look for Asturia."

Eris stare at him suspiciously.

"You did something to her didn't you."

Shirou clammed his mouth in silence.

"So, you did do something to her. Let me go with you. I don't know what you did but I think it was about something stupid again." Eris placed her practice sword on her shoulders as if to emphasize her point.

"Okay..."

That was as far as Celeste heard as she refocused her attention on the messenger.

"Has Revan sent anything else?"

The messenger looked behind him before reaching a hand into his coat. He extracted a small wrapped parcel that was bound and sealed by a red string.

"This was all that he sent Lady Celeste. Sir Revan has also told me to pass a message to you. He says he is gathering the Shadows."

Celeste carefully checked the parcel before placing it on her belt pouch.

"As expected of Revan. He's only useful for this kind of things... If only he wasn't so much of a loner he would be more qualified to lead us..." There was no use dwelling on things she could do nothing about.

"Thank you for your service soldier. I want you to give this to Revan before anything else." Celeste took out a scroll she had wrote earlier. They were sealed with magic. Only by performing a certain procedure would one be able to open the scroll safely, otherwise, it would explode. "Take care of it. It has been sealed by a dangerous [Sealing Magic Array].

The man slowly held out both hands to receive the scroll. Once he secured the scroll safely in his bag, he let out a breath of relief.

"Also, take this. You deserve it. If you need anything else just ask, you can rest here for now. You can depart tomorrow at dawn."

The man caught a small bag that was tossed at him. Heavy, he heard the sweet clinking of gold coins from inside as he checked it.

"Thank you for this milady. But... uh, isn't this too much. We, uh..." The man bowed again as he tried to find words to convey his thoughts.

"You can keep it. I'm sure the road was harsh and dangerous. Also, I know you have a family to feed Lieutenant Herman. It would be prudent for you to keep it."

Celeste left before the man could refuse again.

Her thoughts were on the contents of the letter. It was a decree from the King. They had no choice but to obey. She clenched her hand into a fist. She wanted to curse someone, she wanted to blame someone for this. She wanted to shout out in rage and frustration. They had worked so hard to keep Shirou hidden, but somehow, all the work their work was undone because of a single mistake. Lord Phillip...

She sighed again. She had been doing this a bit too much lately.

"There's no use dwelling on what can't be fixed." She spoke the words to herself.

Her mind turned to other matters. There had been an advanced party sent from Buina telling them that the remaining villagers were retreating. They would probably have to settle in other villages. Buina was a lost cause. Reports wrote that several frontier villagers were already being overrun because of monster raids and infestations.

Buina was just one of many and most like not the only one to be destroyed. She had already sent a message to the court asking for the mobilization of an armed force. Favorably, the Legions of the Rose. The territorial army of Fedora was already struggling with keeping the roads safe. They would not be able to handle both the protection of the roads and the frontier villages.

Most of those villagers would probably settle down on the nearest village. Here in particular. She was not the leader of the village. But she was the current leader of the Crimson Rose. Most of the residents of this village were members of the Rose, both retired and active soldiers and adventurers. For that reason, she was already assigned in an unspoken vote that she was the de facto village elder, people who oversees the local matters.

She made her way into her make shift office. She did not know how long she spent going over several reports and writing some more.

She had not even noticed when Chloe had gone into her room and left her food. She had been far too absorbed in her work as her overstressed mind forced her to concentrate more than she needed to.

* * *

-0-

Allowing her breath to steady, Asturia stood in front of a seated Shirou. She tried not fidget under his unusually sharp gaze. They were alone in Shiro's room.

"Okay... I can do this." She straightened her pose and leveled a finger at the person in front of her. "You're from another world, aren't you? You're a reincarnated person."

She could not discern any change in his face, he hadn't even reacted at all. The only notable gesture he made was tilting his head in silence. After a few moments, he spoke.

"What made you come to that conclusion?"

"Aha! I knew it! Fu fu fu, of course! I'm that stupid you know? Your name is of Japanese origin and from what I've heard of what other people say of you. Besides the fact that you act differently from your age..."

His face was still blank. It annoyed her. This was supposed to be the big reveal where he would panic and deny everything! Maybe she could even try out that Ojou-sama laugh while he begged at her feet to not tell anyone about it! She would hold a her hand to her mind while laughing 'Ho ho ho ho'. Well, something like that!

Damn it. Her mind was going off to 'imagination land' again. Wait, he didn't deny or accept if the statement was true yet.

"Even if my name is from a 'Japanese' origin as you say, what makes you think that I'm what you say I am? Maybe this world has the concept of 'Japanese' names that you don't know about?"

Okaaaayyy, he was annoying. That blank stare and the way he was twisting his word, it was obvious he knew something. She knew that he knew she knew.

"..."

"Well?"

She could almost imagine a smirk on that damnable face.

"I was someone who lived in Japan."

She tried to look for any reaction.

"Oh, okay." He sat there silently. Maybe he was thinking about it? She couldn't tell with how blank his face was. It was almost like she was talking to a robot. He wasn't usually like this. She had seen him act around other people.

"Can't you at least react!"

The boy stared at her as if looking at an alien creature. He straightened his postured and an imitation of shocked expression appeared on his face.

"Oh! So, you are!"

She glared at the boy. She felt like she was being mocked.

"What kind of reaction was that!"

"Huh? But I'm just trying to figure out the appropriate reaction to this kind of situation. I've never encountered something like this yet so I'm trying to remember any situations that had any-"

"Stop! Stop! What are-... okay not that. So, are you a reincarnated person or not?"

She had realized this when they had first met. The boy opposite her had a peculiarly different name. She had never encountered any such things yet from this world that resembled the Japanese culture or anything like it. She had read something about a passing mention of rice fields from the from a country to the south. What was the country's name again? She couldn't remember but it something like Rice country or something...

"I am."

Her head snapped at him so fast she thought she felt her neck stiffen.

She had considered this possibility. She was someone who had reincarnated into this world like some of those generic light novels characters. Wouldn't there be the possibility of other people also reincarnating into this world?

It had taken her a bit of thinking and contemplation if she even needed to do this. But she wanted to know someone who was in the same situation as her. Maybe it was that which pushed her to do this. She wanted to get to know that only person who she thought was connected to her home world. Maybe it was nostalgia or something like home sickness...

She awkwardly sat down on the bed behind her.

Now that he had confirmed it, she was dumbfounded. Her mind was wiped out of all the things she had been thinking of asking and of her so called 'devious plans' were not even on her mind.

"Are you alright?"

She felt dizzy.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" His concern seemed genuine.

"I'm just taking my time digesting it."

"If you say so..."

The room was quite for a few minutes as she tried to calm down her nerves.

"Hey..."

"What is it?"

"How come they named you Shirou, or was it you who named yourself that... I mean, I wasn't actually sure in the first place if it was true or not that you were really the same as me... Sorry if I just let my imagination run wild..." She awkwardly tried to apologize for something she didn't know.

"It's alright. I guess my mother named me Shirou. I don't know why either but Shirou was also my name before I was born here..."

"What?" She gawked at him.

"Huh?"

"You were named Shirou from the start? Wait... this all too confusing. So if they..." Okay, this was just plain awkward. If he hadn't been named that somehow, she wouldn't know who if he was someone like her? Ugh... She didn't know what to think of anymore.

They sat in silence just staring at each other.

"Can I ask you something?" She drew her knees to her chest.

"What is it?"

"This may be... a bit personal but how was your previous life?"

"Hmm? I had a lot of regrets... I guess I died trying to correct those mistakes I made while following my ideals."

"That's... admirable." It was. Compared to him, she had leaved her former life as a NEET... she didn't want to remember it. In her former life, she would be someone who would be called a failure of society. Even her own family threw her away because she was useless.

She remembered his last day with bitterness. She had promised herself she would change things. But was she really capable of that? Even the simple matter of stepping out from the gate of their home had taken her great effort.

"I guess I want to do things differently this time."

Shirou nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. But... I can't really change who I am. I don't know if things will end up the same or differently for me."

"Hehe, then I'll help you with that. As someone who's stuck in the same boat, shouldn't we look after each other's back!"

How long had it been since she had called anyone a friend...? Well, another male friend, _Sylphy-chan_ was her sister! No, both sister and best friend! So she didn't count. Ah, Sylphy-chan was also her future bride! She took her mind out of the gutter as she tried to remember her past life.

Even in high school, she had been labeled as an outcast. She _did_ have a few acquaintances who shared the same interests and hobbies as her.

Shirou stared at the hand she had offered to him. He shook it with a firm grip which she returned. This was the first time she had done a western styled introduction...

"I'm Asturia Great. I don't really want to tell you about my former life because it's embarrassing... nice to meet you Shirou. Ah, also can we keep this a secret..."

Shirou nodded.

"I am Shirou Baleares Asura. In my former life, I was known by the name of Emiya Shirou. I hope to know you well Ar-Asturia. Please treat me well." The boy smiled. It was the first true smile she had seen from him.

She swore to live this life with no regrets, she didn't regret getting to know Shirou.

* * *

-0-

"Shirou, let's talk." Celeste gestured towards a chair. He took a seat.

"What is it Celeste?" Was this about the message she received a few days ago? He wondered. Celeste had bags under her eyes and her complexion was pale. How long was it since she had relaxed under the sun?

"Read this first." He was handed a letter. The seal had already been broken prior which meant Celeste had already read it. The message within was short, but Shirou could tell the seriousness of the subject.

 _'By the decree of I, Tirion Anemoi Asura, hereby order the Fourth Prince, Shirou Braeares Asura, to return to the Royal Court by the fourth day of the sixth new moon of winter._

 _This is in accordance to the wishes of this King to declare the next heir to the throne. The details of such matters will be discussed by this King only with thy arrival. I pray to the Gods that this message shall reach thee with all haste. This King shall await thee and pray for thy safe success in returning home.'_

Shirou frowned at the last statement. This place was his home. He had no wish to be King. He did not care who sat on the throne.

"In three days, we will be departing to Arusu. Do you understand how this will affect you Master?"

He did. Even he did not wish to be on the throne, the other heirs would suspect him. Who did not want power? Whoever sat on the throne, they had the power to detain the other heirs in fear of rebellion. The King could also gather enough influence to execute his siblings without fear of repercussions by ruling them out as criminals. That was the worst possibility.

He in particular held great influence over the second greatest order in the Kingdom. He was a powerful person from other's point of view.

He had no choice. He had to do something. Even if he was not to become the King, he should at least have his freedom and the freedom of those close to him. If they could not detain him, it was possible that they would take someone close to him as a hostage.

Though he hated politics, he was forced to learn its ways to survive against the Clocktower in his former life. He was known as a Sealing Designate, a person who had a unique ability or thaumaturgy. In his former world, Sealing Designates had two fates, they either allowed to live as collaborators and subjects under the Mage Association's supervision or they were killed and their corpses confiscated along with all their research. If a Sealing Designate was unlucky, they would be captured alive and used as a specimen for research.

He had been able to escape both creating a third choice for himself. He became a freelancer who took contracts for the Clocktower, yet he was only affiliated with them as a contractor. Maybe it was luck that he had been able to set that contract. Being acquaintances with the Queen of the Clocktower also helped. It was not until he was put under Zelretch's employ that the Clocktower left him alone.

He could have chosen a fourth path, the choice to oppose the Mage Association. That would have been a life on the run, forever trying to evade Enforcers. This was a choice that he could have made. He held something powerful enough for the Mage Association not deem him worth the casualties in exchange for his capture.

Some people had helped him learn. A certain woman in particular had deemed it for him necessary to learn the ways of a King. A single person's power alone does not make him powerful. What makes a person powerful is his strength, his influence and his authority over others.

He had no say in the matter. He was proud to say that he had the best teachers, though he had not been the best student. He was forced to learn how to lead an army, how to navigate the world of politics and how to manipulate the masses.

 _'A king must know how to lead his armies to victory, a king must know when plots are being set against him and a king must know how to bend the will of the people to his own.'_

It was a load of bullshit if it only it didn't come out of that person's mouth. But if someone else had told it to him, then those words would really make sense.

A King must be a General, a Politician and a Saint or a Devil to his people. It was represented by the sword, the dagger and the scepter.

Shirou gave back the scroll to Celeste.

"Does Chloe know about this?"

She hesitated before answering.

"She does not know about it yet. I will tell it to her in the morning. But what will you do Master?"

"I have no choice. We must go. Celeste, will you follow me on this bloody path?"

"I am yours to command my Liege."

For others to live, some must die. It was the truth.

He lived while others had died in that burning inferno of the aftermath of the Fourth Holy Grail War. For the sake of those who died while he could live, he must strive to continue living. Was this not his curse?

"Can you inform Lord Sauros of this for me? I would prefer it if they set up precautions if things go south. Eris... she is a good girl." He had grown attached to her. A little sister who was loud and always caused trouble. "Tell them to officially cut off the intended engagement between us. I do not want to drag them down with us if we lose this scuffle."

"Shall I immediate write a letter to them now?"

"Yes. I would also want to talk with Roxy-sensei." Celeste undertood what he was doing. He was going to cut off all ties with the people he knew in case things went wrong for them. Because there was always a chance that their unseen enemies might go after the he had grown to know as friends. This were people he had grown to value.

He had already lost many like them. It was not an experience he wanted to repeat.

* * *

-0-

"Now... this is the type of precise mana manipulation in order for you to advance you rank in magic. It's not only a matter of manipulation but also the amount of inborn mana you have. If you do no not have the mana to produce a King ranked spell even if you have the ability to manipulate mana at the level of an Emperor ranked, then it's impossible for you to become a King Ranked Magician.

Everything is not a matter of ability but also inborn talent. But even if you have the talent and the potential, if you don't try to put an effort into learning you would never reach the higher ranks."

Roxy stared down at her two new students. Shirou was off to the side reading a scroll she had given him. He was exempted from this because he had already finished it. They were under the shade of a tree in the backyard of the house.

Eris was barely listening as her eyes drooped ready to close anytime soon. Asturia was another matter, she seemed to be listening intently but her eyes were also trying looking at her strangely.

"Now this is an advanced Water Spell..." She tried to ignore how odd her new students were.

Asturia was a natural at magic just like Shirou. Maybe another prodigy? Celeste had approached her and asked her to teach the two children beside Shirou, she also told her she was paying for it. She didn't mind teaching another prodigy...

Where were all these prodigies popping from!? Well, Eris wasn't that talented compared to the other two...

But Asturia was absorbing her teachings like a sponge. She could discern ten things from a single statement. Not that she was complaining.

"Let me show you." She lifted a palm in demonstration. "Bestow the protection of water to the place where thou demands, let the crystal-clear stream appear here. [Water Ball]."

A water-ball the size of a head appeared in her hand. It flew towards the open space. It floated a few more meters forwards before finally splashing to the ground.

Asturia was looking at it intently.

"Now try it."

"Yes Sensei!" Asturia shouted enthusiastically. She took the same pose that she did and started chanting. "[Water Ball]!"

A water ball of the same size and travelled at the same speed appeared.

"..." Roxy caught herself before she could utter a curse-word.

"Asturia..."

"Yes Sensei?"

"That was a [Chanting Omission] wasn't it..."

"[Chanting Omission]? You mean the short incantation? Uh... I'm sorry Sensei, was I supposed to do it the way you did?"

Luckily, she had already dealt with something like this before. Her experience with Shirou was both a blessing and a curse due to how much trauma she suffered with how she continually surprised her by doing things she had not expected. She tried not to remember the things she learned about the boy.

He was someone who continually surprised her. So, she had learned to somehow expect the unexpected when it came to him.

"Did Shirou teach you that? I mean, did he teach you how to shorten your spells?"

"Eh? No..."

The boy in question perked up at the mention of his name. He put down the scroll and turned to them.

"I didn't teach her that. I haven't even taught Eris anything but the basics of Elementary Fire spells."

"Uh, yeah... we had a book at home about the basic of magic. I learned from that..."

She stared at the girl with a deadpan expression.

"There are no books that teach [Chanting Omission]. If there was, I'd have found a copy of it already."

[Chanting Omission] was learned only through experience. Even she who had also been called a prodigy during her studies at the Academy was never able to put the experience into words.

[Chanting Omission was something that was almost similar to instincts to her. The deeper one has of the understanding of magic, the larger the chance of learning [Chanting Omission]. How could she describe what magic felt like?

How could she even begin to describe water as it was used in magic?

Water was a liquid. In its purest form, it had no smell, color nor taste. It always in a continuous cycle. It was fluid. It fell from the sky as rain, it formed the rivers, streams, ponds, lakes and seas. Water was a necessary substance to ensure the survival of all living creatures.

One needed to understand the depth of an element before one was able to perform something like [Chanting Omission]. One must need to learn 'everything' about it. It was even said that it was possible to learn [Voiceless Incantation] by such methods. She had seen Shirou perform [Voiceless Incantation], so why should it not be possible for someone like Asturia to perform a [Chanting Omission]?

"How did you do that?" Shirou asked.

Right. She remembered Shirou saying something about him needing to Chant the entire verse in order for him to pull of some spells. But wasn't his proficiency with that unique magic of his so high that he didn't need an incantation?

Shirou was capable of [Voiceless Incantation] but only with his unique magic and a few basic Elementary level fire spells.

"I just thought how water was formed. You know? How _science_ explains the precipitation of moisture in the air and how it can condense into clouds, it would then rain once the temperature drops to a level that allows the condensation of moisture? I just concentrated by condensing the moisture and creating the water ball."

Roxy couldn't understand a few of the words they used. How does moisture condense? What did she mean by precipitation of moisture? What did all those have to do with magic? Was this the depth of understanding needed to achieve [Voiceless Incantation]? She just couldn't wrap her head around it.

She could see Shirou nodding as if he had finally realized something.

"So that's how it was... so it was something like that. So, I just needed use the concept behind it?" Shirou nodded as he spoke.

Why did she feel like a dunce with those two speaking? What were they even talking about? And since when had this two gotten so friendly?

Shirou held out a hand. Mana coalesced to form a dagger in his hands. He cut a small wound on his hand. Blood seeped out from the wound. What was it with the boy and his tendency to cut himself up?

Asturia seemed to be surprised by how the dagger appeared. She did have the same reaction when she had first seen it. A unique magic that enabled him to create blades... What an overpowered magic...

The blood stopped flowing out after a few minutes. They watched in fascination as Shirou did something to the blood.

Slowly, the small amount of blood formed into a ball. It hardened and after a few more moments, the ball had turned solid. It was a slow process but a small red ball finally formed.

"Wow... hey what was that Shirou? How'd you create a dagger? How'd you do that?"

Shirou examined the small red ball. He even tried to bite it.

"It's hard... iron. But how does Chloe create her axe with just a single drop of blood?" Shirou stared at the ball absently, lost in thought. Every now and then he would mutter something to himself.

"Ahem! Your please listen to the lesson first Asturia. Wake up Eris."

"Ah? Eh? Oh right, sorry Sensei."

Eris rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"Hey, Shirou! Let's go play."

"Eris, I thought your Grandfather told you to attend the magic lessons."

"But it's boring!"

"Eris... if you listen seriously to Roxy-sensei's lesson until the end, I'll make ice cream for you for dessert."

Roxy's ears twitched at those words. Her expression hardened as she turned to Shirou.

"Shirou..." This was a matter of sweets. In other words, this was a very serious matter. She tried to do her best imitation of a child begging for cookies. Shame was thrown out of the metaphorical window.

"Yes Sensei, I'll make some for you too."

She allowed herself a pat at her success.

Shirou stood up and patted his clothes. His steps were slow as he headed for the house. She could tell there was something on his mind, something aside from the magic lesson. She returned her attention to her two students.

"Okay, let's continue the lesson."

* * *

-0-

Chloe watched the scene unfold with a bit of sadness and amusement.

"You're leaving?" Eris muttered as if unable to believe what she just heard. "Why?"

Several horses whined as they were held still by the soldiers. A small group of knights were assembled at the gate of the town. There were even some villagers who had come to bid them farewell.

Shirou remained silent. He had already resolved himself on this matter, his decision that he announced to them last night assured them.

"...It's not like we won't be meeting again, right? It's just that it's unlikely for me to return here..."

"Is- is it because of something I did?" The red haired was almost on the verge of crying with tears forming in her eyes.

"No... it's not that Eris. You didn't do anything. It's just... I have something I must do." Shirou denied as he tried to comfort the girl.

"Bu-but..."

A look of discomfort appeared on Shirou face. With a sigh of resignation, he lifted Eris chin to look at her eyes.

"Eris." He could see Shirou grasping for words to say. If they were a little bit older, the gesture would have seemed like a romantic one.

"...promise ...come back..." The words were barely a whisper but she was able to hear the girl whisper it nonetheless.

"I- you're really giving me no choice." Shirou let out another sigh. "Alright, I promise that we'll meet again."

"If you don't fulfill your promise I'm gonna find you one day beat you up you're going to regret ever breaking your promise." Eris embraced him in a bone breaking hug before running off with a blush on her face.

A smile formed on the onlooker's face. A few chuckles could be heard even from the knights.

"How good it is to be young..." A knight muttered as he tried to suppress a laugh.

Shirou turned to another girl that had been beside Eris. They exchanged a few words that even she could not hear. They seemed to reach an understanding before shaking each other's hands.

"See you Asturia."

"Good luck Shirou." She smiled as he waved him off.

"Shall we, my Prince?" Shirou accepted Celeste's hands as they walked towards the waiting horses.

Chloe could feel her emotions rushing to the edge. She was not the only who did not want to leave. But they had no choice.

"Neh... Shirou, can you also promise me something?" Shirou turned towards her curiously, this was the first time she had ever addressed him informally.

"What is it Chloe?" She smiled and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Let's come back here someday..."

Shirou replied with a smile. It was one of innocence and satisfaction from simple happiness.

"Yeah... let's return here someday." A strange feeling of relief flooded her. Chloe silently assisted Shirou as they mounted on a horse.

The knight escort lent to them by the Lord of Fedoa followed behind. The orange glow of the morning sun reflected on the mountains to the east. It was a beautiful sight, one that she had come to appreciate.

The scent of morning dew pervaded the air as they rode on. She wanted to remember this. She did not know what to expect. She was born a warrior, raised and lived as one. Expect the worst but hope for the best.

She would do that.

The riders slowed down as they sighted a blue haired girl sitting by a tree on the side of the road. She assisted Shirou to dismount and followed after him. The knights stood by at a distance.

"So, I guess this is a farewell eh, Sensei..."

"Shirou, come here." The boy followed her as they walked away from the road.

The grass was still wet with dew making the scene appear mildly enchanting. Roxy lifted her staff.

"This might be a little sudden but with your departure, I guess this was to be expected. As for you last exam, I want you to cast a spell. If you succeed in doing so, then by my authority and jurisdiction as a Saint ranked magician, you will become one of us and enter our ranks as a seeker of knowledge. I will bestow on you the rank of a Saint Magician."

"...Thank you, Sensei, for giving me this chance..."

Chloe could feel something stir in the air. It might be what they called mana.

"Observe closely Shirou, I know you are weak with conventional elemental spells and require more mana to cast it so I dug up a spell that is ranked as Saint Magician spell." Which must have been the reason she was up all night. Chloe had seen the candles still burning when she woke up early that morning.

" _Rulers of the north, Warrior of the east, Scholar of the west, Servant of the south, descend with rain, depart with the wind. Oh, King of the winds who reigns over the four gates of heaven. Follow the white steeds of sea. Guardian of the north, howl, rage, show upon this tiny existence thy unequaled fury. On pure white wings of the wind, remain steady to become the breeze, move to become the wind. Let thy roar resound through the skies. Run and become a storm._

 _[White Blizzard]."_

It had slowly becoming colder with each verse she spoke. The clear sunny skies were suddenly filled with thick clouds. They waited, a minute later the wind grew stronger. Something was falling from the skies.

She caught the white flake on her hand. It was snow, pure white snow like those that fell on her homeland. She allowed the nostalgia to engulf her. The scent of blood and pine. The cold touch of the wind as it passed by her.

Even Shirou seemed startled by the power within that incantation. They remained there for who knew how long. Maybe the snow had lasted more than an hour before it dispersed, she did not know. The blue haired girl turned towards Shirou.

"That was a spell that I had invented during my stay in the Academy. If I had put more of my mana into it, it has the potential to create a blizzard even on a sunny day. But it would be more powerful if used when the season is cold and when you are high in the mountains. Now Shirou, do what I did. Here, you can borrow my staff. Allow your mana to run through it, channel it."

Shirou nodded in understanding.

"Sensei, can I use something else?"

Roxy nodded slowly.

"You can but I advise you to not cheat right in front of me Shirou. I don't know if you are able to create a magic blade that can achieve a similar effect to this but I would be able to tell if it was made differently."

"You know I won't do that Sensei. But can I use a tool that can increase my affinity to the water element? I don't think I'll be able to cast the spell without completely draining me..." Shirou stated seriously.

"Of course, I know, I'm just reminding you. And yes, I'll allow it. As long as it's not the tool that creates the spell, then it should be allowed. It's not unheard of to use magic tools to assist a magician with a spell."

The boy stood there for a moment, concentration etched on his face. Then a staff appeared on his hand. On its head was a massive blue gem. The staff itself was made of a gnarled and withered black wood.

" _Rulers of the north, Warrior of the east, Scholar of the west, Servant of the south, descend with rain, depart with the wind. Oh King of the winds who reigns over the four gates of heaven. Follow the white steeds of sea. Guardian of the north, howl, rage, show upon this tiny existence thy unequaled fury."_

 _[White Blizzard]."_

The incantation was shorter but Chloe could see Shirou's face paling with each word. They waited again. A minute passed, then two. The clouds had gathered again covering the skies with its white fluffy sheets.

Shirou nervously waited alongside them.

Roxy patiently observed the skies. Then the snow started to fall. Roxy turned to his student who was barely able to stand. Shirou let out a breath of relief. She smiled and assisted him with a shoulder.

"You did well Shirou. Congratulations. You are now officially recognized as a Saint Ranked Water mage." Roxy stared at Shirou with a sad smile on her face.

"Thank you for this Roxy-sensei." The boy engulfed the blue haired Migurdian in a fierce hug. Roxy seemed startled for a moment but returned the hug.

"Master... we must go." Celeste broke the silence with a bit of impatience in her tone.

"Oh, right. Sorry Celeste. I need to go now Sensei."

"Wait..." Roxy searched through a bag slung over her shoulders. She took out a wrapped box. "Traditionally, a wand is gifted to a student before he even begins his lesson. You... you were not quite what I had expected as a student and I can't think of anything useful to gift you with. I wand would be useless with you so... take this instead. It has no value and I doubt you'd have any use for it..."

Shirou opened the box and took out a necklace. It had what appeared to be bones and rough-cut stones as beads.

"Sensei! This is... isn't this something important to you!"

"You can have it Shirou. As I said, I don't I can procure anything that you can't you'll find useful with your... unique magic, I doubt you'd need magic tools. This is the only gift I can think of."

Shirou stare at the ageless girl and bowed.

"Alright. I hope we'll meet again someday Roxy Migurdia." It was obvious that Shirou respected the magician. She bowed towards the girl, at the edge of her vision she could see Celeste doing the same.

"Farewell Shirou Braeares Asura. May the spirits be with you and may your journey be free of perils."

There was no need for words to be said. Chloe nodded towards her and Roxy returned the gesture.

As they walked towards the road, leaving the girl behind them, Chloe put a hand on Shirou's shoulders.

"Don't worry Master, I know that one day you'll meet again. People of the Demon race live longer than humans, so maybe you'll see her again."

"I know. It's just that, I'm a little worried for her, for them. Even with all the preparations we've prepared. I'm afraid of the possibility of someone finding them and using them against us..."

"You worry too much Master." This time it was Celeste who assured him. "Lady Eris has the protection of her family and Roxy is a Saint ranked magician who take on most threats on her own. I don't have any doubts that she even has the potential to surpass her current self and become a Water King Magician."

Shirou visibly relaxed.

They mounted the horse with some assistance from the knights.

Chloe could not help but find herself thinking. She had moments like this. She rarely like thinking about hard things, but right now... her thoughts turned towards her Lord and the home they left.

Both Revan and Celeste were of the opinion that Shirou was born to be King. She didn't anything about politics and ruling a kingdom but she knew Shirou was someone able to incite intense emotions on people. He had an aura about him that spoke of his power whenever he got serious. But for all his power, Shirou did not want to become King.

She didn't understand how and why they needed to get to the capital. She knew the arts of war and how to read the flow of battle, but things such as this were beyond her. Why did they have to leave?

When would they return here? She didn't know. There was also the chance that they would never return here. Celeste had told her of one of their contingency plans. If Shirou was ever put at risk because they were not able to gather enough support, even with Shirou refusing the throne, then there was the chance that they would head north instead to the heart of the Rose.

Farewell. She didn't like that word. It brought about a strange sense of foreboding filled her. It meant that they would never meet again. But she muttered the word any way. It felt natural when she said the words. It seemed fitting.

" _Farewell_."

* * *

-0-

 **A.N.**

Okay... some things to say here. Miko-chan's ability in canon wasn't that advanced, but it has some weaknesses too. It's almost similar to Hitogami's power except it is weaker...It'll be discussed in the later chapters so no pressure. As I mentioned in the earlier chapters, I'll be doing a few edits here and there on Mushoku Tensei lore.

I want to make things clear on how largely Shirou influenced the world from canon. There will be massive differences. And also, sorry about the mass introduction again... I was reluctant to do this because I think some readers might have a hard time remembering all the characters. Cause seriously, Mushoku Tensei has a LOT of characters. I won't be introducing any major characters again until chapter nine or so. Only minor ones.

And... ah yes. Lemme put this one here.

Acedia

Ira

Luxuria

Gula

Invidia

Avaritia

Superbia

Just try to guess what this was for...

Ah... yes. Also for what Asturia looks like? Imagine a younger looking Zenith Greyrat with green eyes.

For the current King of Asura... I can't remember his name. If anyone can remember just tell. For now, I'll refer to him as Tirion.

The last scene felt a little awkward to me. I wasn't comfortable writing it so hope it turned out well enough by standards. Lol. Also, did anyone notice it? A flag was raised... I mean triggered... nah, ignore I said anything.

Oh, and please leave a review.


End file.
